title: Sensitive parenting as a cross-cultural ideal: sensitivity beliefs of Dutch, Moroccan, and Turkish mothers in the Netherlands.
abstract: The primary goal of this study is to test the hypothesis that beliefs about the ideal sensitive mother are similar across Dutch, Moroccan, and Turkish mothers living in the Netherlands. A total of 75 mothers with at least one child between the ages of six months and six years described their views about the ideal sensitive mother using the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (Pederson, Moran, & Bento,  1999 ). These views were highly similar within and across cultural and socio-economic groups. Nevertheless, family income fully mediated the relationship between ethnic background and sensitivity beliefs; income of minority mothers was lower which was in turn predictive of a lower sensitivity belief score. Our findings suggest that the main behavioral markers of sensitivity are valued by mothers from different cultural backgrounds. The role of socio-economic status in sensitivity beliefs is consistent with the Family Stress Model.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rosanneke A G
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Emmen
authors.forename: Maike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malda
authors.forename: Judi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mesman
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ekmekci
authors.forename: Marinus H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: van IJzendoorn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology; D009018:Morocco / Q000208:ethnology; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009426:Netherlands; D016487:Parenting / Q000208:ethnology*; D012923:Social Class; D014421:Turkey / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult