Correlates of maternal directiveness with children who are developmentally delayed.

Abstract

Correlated interactions between 25 mothers and their 25 developmentally delayed children (aged 30–70 mo) to determine relationships between maternal directiveness and (1) maternal behavior regarded as developmentally facilitative, (2) maternal intrusiveness, and (3) child developmental competence and behavioral engagement. Results revealed 2 clear clusters of maternal behavior. The 1st consisted of 5 positively intercorrelated behavior categories: warmth, sensitivity, responsiveness, elaborativeness, and wait time. The 2nd consisted of 3 positively intercorrelated types of behavior (directiveness, pacing, intrusion) that tended to be either unrelated to or negatively correlated with Cluster 1 behavior. Of these 3 behavior categories, the only one to show a consistent pattern of negative correlations with Cluster 1 behavior was intrusiveness