Examining the Relationship Between Parental Cognitions and Parenting Behaviours Among European Canadian and Chinese Canadian Mothers

Several studies have indicated the importance of examining the role of parental attributions and parenting self-efficacy in influencing quality of parenting. However, the relationship between these parent cognitions, beliefs and behaviours have been seldom in a cross-cultural context. Using correlation and regression analyses, this study examined the role of child-causal parental attributions in the link between parental self-efficacy and quality of parenting (as measured through maternal sensitivity) in a sample of diverse Canadian parents. Moreover, the relationship between parental self-efficacy, child causal attributions and maternal sensitivity was examined in sample of two distinct cultural groups (Canadian Chinese and Canadian European Canadian). Lastly, exploratory analyses were conducted to examine whether maternal age and child age would predict maternal sensitivity and parental self-efficacy. The results are discussed in the paper.