Maternal Differential Treatment and Child Adjustment - a Multi-informant Approach - Coursework Example

 Critical Review: Maternal Differential Treatment and Child Adjustment: A Multi-informant Approach The paper addresses an important aspect of child development where the child’s personality and future behaviour may be affected by variations in maternal relational attitudes and display of preferential treatment for one sibling over the other. Family environment and parental attitude exert a strong psychological effect on children which influences the future behavioural patterns (Cousins J.C., et al, 2007). There is strong evidence of longitudinal linkages between sibling relationships which have a bearing on adjustment during mid childhood and particularly adolescence which can lead to peer social competition and depression (Kim J., et al, 2007). The fact that sibling relationship in the early/middle childhood has a direct bearing on individual adjustment has been well documented (Pike A. et al, 2005). Whether a preferential treatment for one child has some implications on the outcome in the form of unique personality traits, as a result of that treatment, later in life, is the focus of this study. The authors have tried to evaluate this aspect in the best possible manner by their unique approach of gathering and evaluating data from both ends of the yardstick, i.e. parental as well as children’s evaluations have been performed and correlated using scientific, well designed and proven methods. The authors have designed the data collection in such a manner so that the ‘differences scores’ and the ‘favouritism scores’ may be correlated and compared for their ability to reflect a truer analysis of the effect of maternal differential treatment (MDT) on the outcome in children. Sibling relationship quality from birth to adolescence is influenced by multiple factors, which includes maternal bonding as well association with friends (Kramer & Kowal, 2005). The authors have been careful to focus their attention within a specific group of siblings i.e. between four to six years of age, the phase during which cognitive ability and the learning processes are at their peak and the child’s mind is fertile and receptive enough to register any recognisable behaviour differences. The selection of a particularly white population living within a region with not any drastic cultural variations has also normalized some of the variations which could have occurred. 173 working middle class English families were selected based upon the evaluation criteria of having children within the age range of 4 to 8 years. Mother-child relationship, problematic behaviour in children if any as evaluated by parents and parent-child relationship from the child’ perspective were the various facets studied. The authors were able to arrive at some interesting results wherein some differences in the effects of MDT were noticed in children with respect to their age groups. This particular study was based upon previous research pointers to the fact that differential parental treatment of children had implications on adjustment in children. The authors exploited a ‘single sample’ (The identified parent-children group) to make conclusions based on two different approaches for analyzing the same aspect. The independent variables are the parents and children involved in this study and the designed questionnaire. The dependent variables are the responses obtained and their evaluation and interpretation methods. Difference scores and favouritism scores were the two methods used to get a measure of parental differential treatment. Behavioural genetic studies have already established the occurrence of marked differences in children with same parents which could be attributed to ‘within family’ differences rather than ‘between family’ ones. The authors insist on moderate to robust evidence for behavioural outcomes in children attributable to parental differential treatment, on the basis of which they built this study. Family relationships have a strong influence on everybody and particularly the children who are still to stabilize their emotional and personality traits in the tender years. Even adults don’t escape developing or displaying altered behavioural patterns based on the treatment meted out to them by a partner, aged parent or colleagues and young children cannot be an exception. If one individual is favoured for certain traits or particular affection, it is but natural for a competing family member to develop feelings of jealousy or competition which can manifest in altered personality traits and expressive behaviour. Variance in children’s outcome can therefore be explicable on the basis of ideals of equity from social exchange theory. Parental differential treatment, even if it exists in a subtle manner, is bound to be detected by an intelligent child, which can later reflect in performance and behaviour. The existence of PDT has been registered as a fact in previous studies where figures of as large as 67% of the total population (families) have been registered where this phenomenon occurs. There are very clear cut agreements within the parents as well as the sibling about the existence of PDT and invariably the favoured sibling is readily identifiable. However when this aspect is studied by acquiring data from either the parents or the siblings alone by delineating them, differences in results have occurred which have been contrary to each other. The parental disposition towards children and their self assessment may be biased as they generally don’t admit any favouritism based on the cognition of equality and fairness as it exists in their self evaluation. The children’s perception of the same facts might be entirely inconsistent with what parents believe to be true. The authors believe that it is the children’s perception of PDT that is more important in deciding whether the phenomenon could have some lasting impression. The authors of this study have built upon a similar study about the existence of PDT in children from the age group of 10-18 year, where the children admitted the existence of differential treatment as compared to the generally contrary opinion of the parents. The authors have endeavoured to gather data from younger children using a novel ‘puppet technique’ and address the issue at a stage when the child’s psyche and personality is still taking shape. Moreover they have attempted to evaluate the results form two diagonally opposite frameworks. The ‘Difference Scores’ method is designed to measure the ‘within-family’ differences which are obtained by subtracting the individual scores obtained from siblings for particular measureable criteria. Both qualitative and quantitative values such as relative differences and measures of emotionality can be obtained using this method. The ‘Favouritism Scores’ method relies on a direct approach where the siblings are subjected to assessments relying on their own opinion and yields the sibling inventory of differential experience. A 5-point scale encoding of the questionnaire is used for obtaining the desired data. The authors hypothesized obtaining a more conclusive result using the favouritism scores as compared to the difference scores due to previous success using this method and the design of their study. The effort is unique in approach as it builds upon established and tested methodology from past studies and novel in approach due to the selection of an age group not subjected to this kind of research as yet and the maternal angle of PDT which is expected to exert more emphasis at this stage. The methodology and the experimental design are thorough and well directed in the selection of the groups as well as in terms of the measurable criteria to be assessed. The authors selected 173 families from 100 schools in South of England with the strict criteria of similar backgrounds and presence of at least two siblings within the 4-8 years age group, irrespective of the existence of other siblings as well. This appears to be a fairly large size according to statistical requirements with less chances of variation. Moreover the ethnic background and economic status of the selected families is identical, which further strengthens the approach of this study with expectation of a pertinent and sound database for analysis. A high percentage of children belonged to the lower as well upper level age groups selected for the study. 63% of the selected families had just two children who satisfied the criteria of selection which indicates a level of consistency which is liable to deliver accurate data for analysis. There were only slight variations in the family structures as majority of the families had both parents living with the children. The average age of the younger sibling labelled as YS was 5.2 years and the elder sibling (OS) was 7.4 years. The literacy level of the parents was also consistent enough, eliminating variations due to this factor. The data was gathered by visiting all families and interviewing parents and children separately. Exclusive questionnaire’s designed for children as well as parents were used for obtaining pertinent data. The first evaluation study was obtained in the form of Mother’s report designed to evaluate mother-child relationship was the affection inventory which consisted of an 18 item scale which measured expressions of physical affection on day to day basis by evaluating actions such as a hug or a kiss. The rating was done on a 7 point scale with descending order of affectionate behaviour. A ‘definitely true’, ‘definitely untrue’ response pattern rated on a 5-point scale was used to assess the second measure which was designed to evaluate the parental feelings for their children. Two subscales were prepared for this measure which evaluated the positivity or negativity of parental feelings, with a higher number indicating a more exacting feeling of the two kinds. The third measure evaluated the parental disciplining methods employed which included both positive and negative modes of discipline enforcement. A higher number in both types indicated the value for a more positive or more negative mode analysis. The fourth measure was designed to evaluate numerically the occurrence of ‘conflict’ between mother and child with a high score of an upper limit of 7 indicating more conflict. The second evaluation study measured the mother-child relationship through children’s reports. As the children were relatively young an established technique was used to obtain responses from them with the promise of high reliability. This technique, known as the Berkeley puppet interview (BPI) was used to elicit answers from the children who had the tendency to go with the favoured responses as demonstrated by the puppets. A 7-point scale was constructed from the obtained responses, where 1 was the most negative and 7 the most positive response. Special scales were used to categorize extreme responses. This methodical approach seems to incorporate a high degree of accuracy and reliability in gathering valuable data form subjects who can be highly unpredictable due to the tender age and depending upon their mood and status at the particular moment of evaluation. In a further unique investigation in the evaluation by BPI, the authors used a novel approach in this study to obtain subscales in this section by obtaining data for distinct ‘warmth/enjoyment’ and ‘anger/hostility’ relationship quality subscales. The third evaluation data obtained was the ‘perceived favouritism child report’ where children’s perception of differential parenting can be assessed on the basis of their responses to BPI measures directed at eliciting responses for hypothetical situations where the child decides which sibling is at the receiving end in a controversial situation in the family life in day to day situations. This was a direct measure of the children’s perception of differential parenting and the format for evaluation was prepared on the basis of a scale where the value 4 was considered as ‘equal treatment for both siblings. A value above this mid-value was considered to indicate that the respondent child was more favoured and a value below this figure indicated that the other sibling was favoured. The fourth evaluation measured the degree of adjustment shown by the children according to parental views. It was labelled as a strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Parents’ opinion was obtained by preparing a 3-point scale containing ‘not true’, ‘sometimes true’ and ‘certainly true’ answers to questions directed at measuring the degree of adjustment behaviour in children. Measures for four scales viz. hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, conduct problems and peer problems were obtained for evaluation. Maternal expression of affectionate behaviour, positive parental feelings and positive discipline were evaluated using ‘difference scores’ by calculating MDT from indirect ratings by subtracting the mother-younger sibling (YS) questionnaire scores from identical scores obtained from older siblings (OS). A positive difference score indicated preferential treatment for the OS and a negative difference score for YS. Negative behaviour was evaluated in similar fashion where parent-child conflict, negative parental feelings and negative discipline were the measures tested. Difference scores based on children’s reports were calculated in an identical manner. Multiple perspectives in evaluating familial relationships have been emphasized by the authors in this study as the parent’s attitude is considered as biased in most cases (Pike et al, 1996). Evaluating young children by using the puppet technique has yielded pertinent and consistent data for evaluating MDT in this study. In fact children’s reports yielded better estimates for evaluating MDT, contrary to the previously held belief that parents could give a better picture in such situations due to their educated and observational maturity. The reason for this success was the elaborate plan, modes of testing and the comprehensive planning structure of this study. The study was extensive in its approach as it compared data from all possible angles and correlated it using appropriate statistical and analytical tools to arrive at justifiable conclusions. Different scores method yielded better results as compared to the favouritism scores in leading to the establishment of the connection between MDT and children’s individual adjustment. The children’s perception of variation in parental differentiation points towards a more realistic and correct evaluation as the opinion from both the young and older siblings were taken into consideration. It is but natural for an educated mother not to notice or even admit any preferential treatment. The situation loses further credibility due to the statistical reason that all mothers fall under a single rater category as compared to the inferences derived from children, where opinions of both the OS and The YS are taken into consideration, putting them into a multiple rater category. The study is quite comprehensive as well as meticulous but it lacks in certain aspects. Variations in family history or recent events in the family can influence individual family responses from both parents as well as children. The total number of children can also have some bearing on preferential treatment of some due to their individual behaviours or idiosyncrasies. It is therefore imperative that family selection and the timing of the evaluation and delivery of questionnaire’s be made in identical and uniform circumstances, by prior consultation with parents as well as the experts involved in the study. It is not possible to generalize and accept responses from different children at such a young age, as the external factors such as weather, health status or any emotional burden at the particular time of evaluation can have a bearing on the results. Moreover, as the sample population under study was confined to only the predominantly white population of English families in south England, the influence of cultural and ethnic values on the results was missed in this study design. Parent education, ethnic identity, parent religion and socio-cultural factors have been found to have a definite bearing on parent– child relationships in African American families and strongly influence sibling dynamics (McHale, et al, 2007). Incorporation of more families with diverse cultural, economic and religious backgrounds may shed more light on the consistency or differences in results, if any, due to such variations. Further research on this aspect should focus on involving parent-children combinations from populations with more ethnic variety and from multi religious and socio economic backgrounds as variability of results can be expected (McHale, et al, 2007). It needs to be seen whether parental literacy has any influence on the differential treatment meted out to siblings as highly educated parents are likely to be more careful and concerned about providing equal rights and privileges to their children. Parental guidance has shown to have a strong influence on children’s compliance within the family (Blandon & Volling, 2008). Older siblings were found to show more committed compliance as compared to their younger counterparts. It needs to be seen whether the older siblings overcome the emotional aspect of preferential treatment by feelings of camaraderie later on life due to learned behaviour or not. The methodology employed in this study is elaborate and comprehensive enough for further evaluations of this nature. Works Cited Blandon Alysia Y. & Volling Brenda L., (2008), Parental Gentle Guidance and Children's compliance Within the Family: A Replication Study, Journal of Family Psychology, Vol 22, No.3, 355-366 Cousins Jennifer C. , Bootzin Richard R., Stevens Sally J. , Ruiz Bridget S. and Haynes Patricia L. , (2007), Parental Involvement, Psychological Distress, and Sleep: A Preliminary Examination in Sleep-Disturbed Adolescents With a History of Substance Abuse, Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 21, No. 1, 104–113 Kim Ji-Yeon , McHale Susan M. , Crouter Ann C. and Osgood D. Wayne , (2007), Longitudinal Linkages Between Sibling Relationships and Adjustment From Middle Childhood Through Adolescence, Developmental Psychology, Vol. 43, No. 4, 960–973 Kramer Laurie and Kowal Amanda K., (2005), Sibling Relationship Quality From Birth to Adolescence: The Enduring Contributions of Friends, Journal of Family Psychology,Vol. 19, No. 4, 503–511 McHale Susan M., Whiteman Shawn D., Kim Ji-Yeon and CrouterMcHale Ann C., (2007), Characteristics and Correlates of Sibling Relationships in Two-Parent African American Families, Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 21, No. 2, 227–235 Pike Alison, Coldwell Joanne and Dunn Judith F., (2005), Sibling Relationships in Early/Middle Childhood: Links With Individual Adjustment, Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 19, No.4, 523–532 Read More