title: Concordance between the quality of maternal and paternal parenting behavior within couples.
abstract: There is compelling evidence that the quality of maternal and paternal parenting behavior bears critical importance for child development. Yet, less is known of the degree of similarity between maternal and paternal parenting behavior in families, and especially little is known about the factors that may explain variation in degrees of similarity. This article aims to examine (a) the concordance (similarity) between the quality of mothers' and fathers' interactive behavior with their child and (b) the sociodemographic determinants of this concordance. The sample included 74 families (mother, father, and their child). The quality of maternal and paternal interactive behavior was assessed independently, and rated with the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (mother-infant, 12 months; D. R. Pederson et al., 1990) or the Mutually Responsive Orientation scale (father-toddler, 18 months; N. Aksan et al., 2006). The results indicated that the overall correlation between the quality of mothers' and fathers' behavior was moderate. The concordance was greater among higher socioeconomic status families or when interacting with a boy, but did not differ according to the presence or absence of siblings in the family.
authors.affiliation: a Université du Québec à Montréal , Canada.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deschênes
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernier
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jarry-Boileau
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: St-Laurent
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010332:Paternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011779:Q-Sort; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: child sex; concordance of maternal and paternal behaviors; family SES; maternal behavior; paternal behavior