The Acculturation of Maternal Sensitivity: A Comparison of South Korean, Korean American, European American Mother-Infant Dyads and Variation in Korean American Mothers' Traditional South Korean Parenting Values

Abstract

This study explored the relations between acculturation and the maternal sensitivity of Korean American mothers and examined how Confucian-derived values of hyo might be associated with maternal sensitivity. Mean-levels of maternal sensitivity in native South Korean, South Korean immigrants in the United States (Korean American), and U.S.-born European American mothers and their 5.5-month-old infants were compared. In addition, this study examined the associations between maternal sensitivity and acculturation in Korean American mothers, specifically the extents to which Korean American mother maintain South Korean cultural values and/or adapt the dominant cultural values in the United States (U.S.). Maternal sensitivity was assessed using three popular Western observational maternal sensitivity measures, namely the Ainsworth Maternal Sensitivity Scales (AMSS; Ainsworth, 1969), Mini Maternal Behaviour Q-Sort-VR (Mini MBQS-VR; Moran et al., 2009), and the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS; Oxford & Findlay, 2015). Altogether 181 mother-infant dyads participated: 57 South Korean, 74 Korean American, and 50 European American. South Korean mothers showed statistically greater (< 2-point), but perhaps not meaningful, mean-level AMSS Acceptance subscale score than European American mothers. Additionally, South Korean mothers showed meaningfully greater (.20), but not statistically significant, difference in Mini MBQS-VR scores than European American mothers. No associations were found between maternal sensitivity, as measured by AMSS, MBQS, and NCAFS, and acculturation level in Korean American mothers. This study suggests that, depending on the measure used to assess maternal sensitivity, there may be some differences observed in the scores of mothers from different cultures. However, overall, there appear to be few differences in observed maternal sensitivity across South Korean, Korean American, and European American mothers. Furthermore, this study suggests that there may be no relations between acculturation and maternal sensitivity in Korean American mothers. This study provides insight into maternal sensitivity behaviours in South Korean, Korean American, and European American mothers in different cultural contexts.