The Influence of Culture on Maternal Soothing Behaviours and Infant Pain Expression in the Immunization Context

Jillian Vinall,Saul Greenberg,Rebecca Pillai Riddell

doi:10.1155/2011/707615

Jillian Vinall, Saul Greenberg + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/707615

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Abstract

To investigate how maternal culture (ie, individualist versus collectivist) influences soothing techniques and infant distress. Archival data were analyzed using a subsample of 80 motherinfant dyads selected from a larger database of infant pain expression. Mothers belonging to the individualist group used more affection behaviours when attempting to regulate their infants' distress. No differences were observed in mothers' touching, holding, rocking, vocalizing, caregiving or distracting their infants. Mothers' culture did not appear to be related to the level of distress expressed by their infants. These results suggest that the similarities in soothing and infant pain expression between individualist and collectivist cultures are more prominent than their differences.

Highlights

ObJecTiVe: To investigate how maternal culture influences soothing techniques and infant distress
Participants recruited from Canadian immunization clinics represent the same mainstream culture; they may differ in their heritage culture
The present study explored how ‘culturally integrated’ mothers soothe their children based on whether their heritage culture is collectivist or individualist, and whether there is a relationship between cultural identity and infants’ distress

Summary

Eastern European

Because caregivers from individualist and collectivist cultures interpret and subsequently respond to pain differently, we hypothesized that infants from individualist cultures would express greater distress compared with infants from collectivist cultures. MeThOdS Participants The data used for the present study were archival [21,22] These mother-infant dyads were a convenience sample from two pediatric clinics in midtown and northwest Toronto (Ontario). The inclusion criteria for the original database required that mothers were fluent in English and that they would be available for two parts of the study including the videotaped clinic interview and a subsequent telephone interview. Their infants were required to be between three and 20 months of age, and be healthy and full-term, with no suspected developmental delays or impairments, chronic illnesses or previous admittance to a neonatal intensive care unit.

Pleasure seeking

Soothing behaviour

Findings

Group affiliation n