To excel and to be happy: Parenting behaviors, parenting stress, and sociocultural contexts in Dutch and urban Chinese families

Abstract

The current research examined the similarities and differences in parenting behaviors between 1090 Dutch and 2339 urban Chinese mothers with 1- to 4-year olds and investigated to what extent group differences in parenting stress, proportions of only children, and maternal working hours explain cultural variations in parenting behaviors. Thirteen parenting behaviors were assessed using the Comprehensive Early Childhood Parenting Questionnaire. Parenting stress was measured by 10 items selected from the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Mothers also reported whether the child was an only child and how many hours they worked per week. Results showed that Dutch mothers and urban Chinese mothers had similar levels of sensitivity, affection, using toys, verbal punishment, and positive discipline. For the other 8 parenting behaviors on which cultural variations were found, a mediational model, examining whether parenting stress, the only-child status, and maternal working time could explain cultural differences in parenting behaviors, was investigated. Compared to Dutch mothers, urban Chinese mothers had higher parenting stress, worked longer hours, and were more likely to have an only child. The group differences in involvement in activities, exposure, over-reactivity, and physical punishment were fully explained by cultural differences in parenting stress and proportions of only children. These mediators, however, only explained a part of the cultural differences in responsiveness, psychological control, consistency, and laxness, showing that Dutch mothers were still more consistent in enforcing rules and less lax in parenting, whereas urban Chinese mothers were still slightly more responsive to children's signals, but also more psychologically controlling.