Distal and proximal parenting as alternative parenting strategies during infants’ early months of life: A cross-cultural study

Cultures differ with respect to parenting strategies already during infancy. Distal parenting, i.e., face-to-face context and object stimulation, is prevalent in urban educated middle-class families of Western cultures; proximal parenting, i.e., body contact and body stimulation, is prevalent in rur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of behavioral development 2009-09, Vol.33 (5), p.412-420
Main Authors: Keller, Heidi, Borke, Joern, Staufenbiel, Thomas, Yovsi, Relindis D., Abels, Monika, Papaligoura, Zaira, Jensen, Henning, Lohaus, Arnold, Chaudhary, Nandita, Lo, Wingshan, Su, Yanjie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Cameroon
Child Behavior
Child Development
Child Rearing
China
Costa Rica
Cross Cultural Studies
Cultural Differences
Cultural Influences
Developmental psychology
Family histories
Foreign Countries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Germany
Greece
India
Infants
Middle class people
Newborn. Infant
Parent Child Relationship
Parent-Infant interactions
Parenting
Parenting Styles
Proximity
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Rural Areas
Socialization
Socioeconomic Influences
Stimulation
United States
Urban Areas
Western culture
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Summary:Cultures differ with respect to parenting strategies already during infancy. Distal parenting, i.e., face-to-face context and object stimulation, is prevalent in urban educated middle-class families of Western cultures; proximal parenting, i.e., body contact and body stimulation, is prevalent in rural, low-educated farmer families. Parents from urban educated families in cultures with a more interdependent history use both strategies. Besides these cultural preferences, little is known about the relations between these styles as well as the behavioural systems constituting them. In this study therefore, the relations between the styles and the constituting behaviours were analysed in samples that differ with respect to their preferences of distal and proximal parenting. The hypothesized differences between the samples and the negative relationship between distal and proximal parenting, as well as between the respective behavioural systems can clearly be demonstrated. Furthermore, the impact of the sociodemographic variables with respect to the parenting strategies can be shown. Results were discussed as supporting two alternative parenting strategies that serve different socialization goals.
ISSN:0165-0254
1464-0651
DOI:10.1177/0165025409338441