Abstract
ABSTRACTThe links between parenting and child behaviour in cultural context have received increasing research attention. We investigated the effect of parenting on child adjustment using a multi-method design, comparing English and Turkish families. The socioeconomically diverse samples included 118 English and 100 Turkish families, each with two children aged 4–8 years. Mothers completed questionnaires as well as parent–child interaction being assessed using a structured Etch-a-Sketch task with each child separately. Children were interviewed about their relationships with their mothers using the Berkeley Puppet Interview. Multiple-group Confirmatory Analysis was used to test Measurement Invariance across groups, and a multi-informant approach was used to assess parenting. We found partial cross-cultural measurement invariance for parenting and child adjustment. Strikingly, the association between parenting and child adjustment was stronger among English families than Turkish families. Culturally distinct meanings of both parenting and child behaviour must be considered when interpreting their association.
Highlights
The links between parenting and child behaviour in cultural context have received increasing research attention
The current study adds to this literature by comparing two target children from English and Turkish families using a multi-informant design
The research presented here was driven by the motivation to investigate the relation between mother–child relationship quality and child adjustment across cultures along with investigating measurement invariance
Summary
The links between parenting and child behaviour in cultural context have received increasing research attention. We investigated the effect of parenting on child adjustment using a multi-method design, comparing English and Turkish families. The current study adds to this literature by comparing two target children from English and Turkish families using a multi-informant design. As argued by Harkness and Super (2006), comparative cross-cultural studies should be implemented to distinguish the patterns and parenting practices that are universal and culture-specific. These may not be revealed in a mono-cultural study. In order to have a better understanding of the relation between parenting and child adjustment, studying the role of culture and its consequences becomes imperative
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
