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Definitions of child maltreatment vary between studies, and few are informed by research in non-Western countries. We examined attitudes about child maltreatment in China and the Netherlands. The sample consisted of 304 participants from three groups (mothers, fathers, and teachers) and two countries (China and the Netherlands). Participants completed the Maltreatment Q-sort in which 90 items reflecting four types of child maltreatment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect) are divided in 9 stacks of 10 cards from least (1) to most (9) damaging to the child. The average within-country (r =.57) and within-group (r =.58) agreement about the order of harmfulness of the behaviors did not differ from the average between-country (r =.49) and between-group (r =.53) agreement. Physical abuse was seen as the most harmful form of child maltreatment and emotional neglect as the least harmful form (pƞ2 =.88). Higher thresholds were found for labeling the behaviors as child maltreatment, and the perceived need for intervention by a professional than for the need for intervention by a non-professional (pƞ2 =.67). These thresholds were higher for Chinese than for Dutch participants (pƞ2 =.31). The areas of agreement found are promising because successful collaboration within and between countries and groups could lead to more successful prevention and intervention of child maltreatment. The difference between China and the Netherlands however, stresses the importance of cultural sensitivity when implementing child maltreatment prevention and intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting skills, such as Autonomy Support (AS), have been proposed as a potential mechanism explaining the intergenerational contiguity of Executive Function (EF). However, few studies have focused on mothers and fathers among non-Western families. The current study investigated the role of maternal and paternal AS in the relation between parental EF and infant EF at 14 months of age among 123 Dutch and 63 Chinese first-time mothers and fathers and their infants. Multiple-group structural equation models were built for mothers and fathers separately with country as a grouping variable. Results showed that parental AS did not mediate the relation between parent EF and infant EF at 14 months. Mean-level differences were found in parental AS, maternal EF, and infant inhibition across countries, while no country differences were found in the relation between parent EF, AS and infant EF. Our findings suggested that individual differences in early EF may not be stable enough to be reliably predicted from parental factors across the Netherlands and China. • Parental autonomy support did not mediate the relation between parent executive function and 14-month executive function. • The mediation model was similar across the Netherlands and China. • Mean-level differences were found in parental autonomy support, maternal executive function, and infant inhibition across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Both infant attention at 4 months and maternal sensitivity at 14 months were associated with infant working memory and inhibition at 14 months. • Contributions of precursors (4-month infant attention, maternal and paternal sensitivity) of early cognitive abilities were similar across the Netherlands and China. • The predictive effect of maternal sensitivity on infant working memory was stronger than that of paternal sensitivity which was nonsignificant. • The predictive effect of maternal sensitivity on infant was inhibition significant, whereas the effect of paternal sensitivity was not. Infant attention and parental sensitivity are important predictors of later child executive function (EF). However, most studies have investigated infant and parent factors in relation to child EF separately and included only mothers from Western samples. The current study examined whether both infant attention at 4 months and parental sensitivity at 4 and 14 months were related to infant EF (i.e., inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) at 14 months among 124 Dutch and 63 Chinese first-time mothers and fathers and their infants. Findings revealed that parental sensitivity at 4 months was not correlated with infant EF abilities at 14 months. However, infant attention at 4 months was significantly related to 14-month working memory, but not to inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Maternal sensitivity at 14 months was significantly related to 14-month inhibition, but not to working memory and cognitive flexibility. No country differences were found in the relation among 4-month infant attention, parental sensitivity, and EF outcomes. Results show that both infant and parent factors are associated with early EF development and that these correlates of early EF skills may be similar in Western and non-Western samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, results have been inconsistent in whether mothers show higher parental sensitivity to their infant than fathers do. The context in which sensitivity is measured may play a role in these inconsistent findings, but this has not been examined yet. The aim of the current study was to test context as a source of variability in parental sensitivity, comparing maternal and paternal sensitivity to infants in four different observational settings. Participants included 109 families with their 4-month-old infants. Parental sensitivity was observed during a routine caregiving session, free play episode, and the baseline and reunion of the Still Face Procedure. Results demonstrated that parental sensitivity showed weak to strong stability (correlations) across the four contexts. Furthermore, overall levels of parental sensitivity were higher in more naturalistic contexts (routine caregiving > free play > Still Face). Lastly, mothers and fathers were overall equally sensitive across contexts. Our findings highlight the importance of taking context into account when observing parental sensitivity in research as well as practice. Furthermore, future research should examine the emergence of possible differences in maternal and paternal sensitivity over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).