Primiparous mothers' knowledge about child development: a study in Itajaí, SC

Authors

  • Anna K. Silva Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Programa de Pós-graduação em Psicologia
  • Mauro L. Vieira Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Departamento de Psicologia
  • Maria L. Seidl de Moura Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
  • Rodolfo C. Ribas Jr. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7322/jhgd.19766

Keywords:

Primiparous mothers, Child development, Socioeconomic context, Parental beliefs

Abstract

The central focus of this study was to evaluate primiparous mothers' knowledge about parenting and child development throughout the first year of life of their children. Participants were 109 primiparous mothers, aged 18 years or older, living in Itajaí (Santa Catarina), with a child aged 1-12 months. The KIDI (Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory) was employed to evaluate mothers' conceptions of infant development and the Hollingshead Four Factor Index of Socioeconomic Status was used to evaluate the socioeconomic level of mothers' and their families'. Through statistical analysis it was verified that mothers' educational attainment and occupation correlated significantly with their knowledge on parenting and child development. The study revealed that mothers had more knowledge about parenting (beliefs, strategies and practices of the parents) when compared with other types of knowledge. The study concluded that the mothers' socioeconomic level is an important factor related to their knowledge about the child development.

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Published

2005-12-01

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 3 (2005)

Section

Original Research

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