Leiden University Scholarly Publications

Dawson, N.; Bain, K.; Mesman, J. (2018)

Comparing two measures of maternal sensitivity: goodness of fit with a South African cultural context.

Article / Letter to editor

Recent scholarly insights show that nonverbal and subtle forms of sensitive responsiveness are more applicable to describing and assessing non-Western parent-infant interactions than the more extraverted Western varieties of responsiveness. This paper examines whether the original Ainsworth scale (that does not specify particular manifestations of sensitivity) reveals different patterns of results in 50 South African mothers when compared to the Maternal Behavior Q-sort mini that assesses a more specified array of behaviors that may vary in their goodness of fit regarding the cultural context. The analysis reveals that there are key differences in the way the two measures operationalize maternal sensitivity, as seen in the incongruence of sensitivity ratings. The two measures are also shown to relate differently to maternal education and reflective functioning in this sample. The paper concludes that the Ainsworth sensitivity scale is better suited for use in the context of...Show moreRecent scholarly insights show that nonverbal and subtle forms of sensitive responsiveness are more applicable to describing and assessing non-Western parent-infant interactions than the more extraverted Western varieties of responsiveness. This paper examines whether the original Ainsworth scale (that does not specify particular manifestations of sensitivity) reveals different patterns of results in 50 South African mothers when compared to the Maternal Behavior Q-sort mini that assesses a more specified array of behaviors that may vary in their goodness of fit regarding the cultural context. The analysis reveals that there are key differences in the way the two measures operationalize maternal sensitivity, as seen in the incongruence of sensitivity ratings. The two measures are also shown to relate differently to maternal education and reflective functioning in this sample. The paper concludes that the Ainsworth sensitivity scale is better suited for use in the context of Alexandra Township, Johannesburg.Show less

All authors

Dawson, N.; Bain, K.; Mesman, J.

Date

2018-03-28

Journal

Attachment & human development

Pages

1 - 9

Advanced Publication

Yes

DOI

doi:10.1080/14616734.2018.1454056

Link

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14616734.2018.1454056