1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«Hence, as a first objective of the present study, the MZ twin difference method was employed to examine whether differential parenting practices (i.e., overprotective and hostile behavior) at the age of 30 months predicted MZ twins’ differentiation regarding observed reticent behavior in a competitive situation in kindergarten. The second objective was to examine whether these associations were aggravated (i.e., moderated) by parental depressive symptoms.» (p. 393)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The sample of 137 MZ twin pairs (72 female pairs) who participated in the present study were part of an ongoing longitudinal study (The Quebec Newborn Twin Study, QNTS) of a population-based sample of twins from the greater Montreal area recruited at birth between November 1995 and July 1998 (N=648 twin pairs, 254 MZ twin pairs).» (p. 394)

Instruments :
The authors use the monozygotic (MZ) twin difference method for this analysis.

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Family-related factors, especially parental practices such as overprotective or hostile behavior, seem to play an important role in the development of social reticence (Burgess et al. 2001).» (p. 392) «Several studies have shown that parental overprotection is indeed a significant predictor of children’s shyness, inhibition and reticent behavior (Coplan et al. 2008; Rubin et al. 1999).» (p. 392) The results of this analysis show, that «[a]s expected, differences in maternal and paternal overprotection predicted differences in twins’ subsequent observed reticent behavior. [...] Overprotective parents with excessive concerns about the safety of their toddlers might try to protect their children by telling them exactly what to do and how to do it.» (p. 398) «Differences in hostile parenting also predicted differences in twins’ social reticence, albeit only for girls of fathers with high levels of depressive symptoms. [...] The present findings suggest, however, that it is the combination of fathers’ depressive symptoms and hostile behavior that is most likely to foster social reticence in girls.» (p. 399)