Maternal and Paternal Sensitivity and Noninterference towards Infants at 4 and 14 Months of Age in China and the Netherlands

Most of the evidence-based knowledge on parenting originates from Western studies, whereas the World’s largest population is non-Western. In Western attachment research, the most studied aspects of parent-infant interaction are parental sensitivity and noninterference, which reflect the degree to which 1) parents are able to observe and interpret children’s signals and respond to those signals promptly and appropriately (sensitivity) and 2) respect children’s autonomy (noninterference; Ainsworth, Bell, & Stayton, 1974). Both the collectivistic Chinese culture and the notion of ‘tiger parenting’ suggest that Chinese parents may show less sensitive and noninterfering parenting behaviors compared to individualistic Western cultures. To test this hypothesis, the present study observed first-time mothers and fathers and their infants in China (N = 59) and the Netherlands (N = 118). Parental sensitivity and noninterference during free play were coded when infants were 4 and 14 months of age using the 9-point Ainsworth Sensitivity and Noninterference scales (Ainsworth, Bell, & Stayton, 1974). Repeated Measures ANOVAs indicated no effect of parent gender and country on sensitivity at 4 months. In both countries, fathers were significantly less interfering than mothers at 4 months. A significant increase in sensitivity and noninterference from 4 to 14 months was observed for Dutch parents, with mothers showing a steeper increase than fathers. The Chinese 14-month free play observations are currently being coded and will be added to the results. Results will be discussed in terms of culture-specific and universal aspects of maternal and paternal parenting.