Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
Societal changes in parental roles affect family dynamics; hence, it is imperative to understand the unique characteristics of and contributions of mothers and fathers to child playfulness. This knowledge will better equip OTs to implement interventions based on the type and quality of support provided by parents toward their child’s playfulness. Incorporating strategies tailored to parental joint play styles may have a greater effect on the child’s developmental needs.
Primary Author and Speaker: Amiya Waldman-Levi
PURPOSE: In recent years, there has been a shift to focus on child and parent playfulness. Playful interactions are cheerful, purpose-driven, and have a unique contribution to a child’s emotional regulation, social skills, and overall development. Due to gender, culture, and personality differences, play interactions of fathers and mothers may differ. Fathers provide their child with opportunities to lead and display playmate behaviors, while mothers tend to provide more structure and display empathetic or reflective behaviors during joint play. Occupational therapists working with families and children address child development, hence it is imperative to further explore the ways parents support their children through joint play experience.
DESIGN: A cross-sectional study, utilizing a convenient sampling method recruited father-child and mother-child dyads of typically developing children residing in a metropolitan area.
METHOD: Background questionnaire and criterion-referenced observations were used to analyze 15-minutes video-recordings of joint play at the home environment, including Parent’s/Caregiver Support of Children’s Playfulness (PCSCP; Waldman-Levi & Bundy, 2016) and The Test of Playfulness (ToP; Skard & Bundy, 2008). Inter-rater agreement for 20% of the sample was found satisfactory.
RESULTS: 134 dyads participated in this study, of which 57 were fathers and 73 were mothers. Parents were predominately married, Caucasian. Father’s average age was 36 (SD = 6.6), 84.2% had a college-level education; mothers average age was 33 (SD = 5.8) and 80.6% had college-level education. Children’s average age was 37 months (SD = 14), 67 boys, and 65 girls. Paternal and maternal support of child’s playfulness was measured with the PCSCP scales (i.e. quality and frequency of supportive behavior) and factors (i.e. Flow-support for continuous engagement and supporting Creative play). There was a significant difference in the quality of the mother’s versus father’s support as they played with their child, t (126) = 5.04, p < 0.01. Mothers displayed a higher quality of support, M = 2.42 (SD = 0.44), than fathers did, M = 2.00 (SD = 0.49). Maternal and paternal supportive behavior also significantly differed in accordance with the Flow factor, t (126) = 4.46, p < 0.001, with mothers scoring higher, M = 2.65 (SD = 0.56), than fathers, M = 2.20 (SD = 0.55). Similarly, mothers and fathers differed in the Creative factor, t (126) = 4.51, p < 0.001, mothers scored higher, M = 2.03 (SD = 0.65) than fathers, M = 1.5 (SD = 0.60). However, the frequency of parental supportive behavior did not significantly differ. When we compared children’s playfulness behavior there were no significant differences, t (127) = 0.68, p > 0.05, between father and mother-child dyads.
CONCLUSION: Father’s and mother’s support of their child’s playfulness varies in quality and type of behaviors, not in how often they display behaviors. Mothers supported a child’s continuous engagement in the play activities with modifications, overcoming barriers, decision making, and transitions. Mothers also showed a greater level of support for creative play than fathers did. However, children’s playfulness behavior did not differ across dyads, which led us to speculate that young children benefit from playing with both their parents as each has a distinct contribution to a child’s playfulness behavior.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Occupational therapists are involved in supporting child development guided by a Family-Centered Service approach that can incorporate both parents in promoting joint play. Occupational therapists can further promote child and family engagement in joint play by assessing the effect of type and quality of support provided on child behavior.
References
Menashe, G. A., & Atzaba, P. N. (2017). Mother-child and father-child play interaction: The importance of parental playfulness as a moderator of the links between parental behavior and child negativity. Infant Mental Health Journal, 38(6), 772–784. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21678
Waldman-Levi, A., Finzi-Dottan, R., & Cope, A. (2019). Balancing between synchrony and completion: A grounded theory approach to joint play at the latent period. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01638-8
Waldman-Levi, A. & Bundy, A. (2016). A Glimpse into co-occupations: Parent’s support of young children’s playfulness scale. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 32(3). http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0164212X.2015.1116420
Waldman-Levi, A., Grinion, S., & Olson, L. (2019). Effects of maternal views and support on childhood development through joint play, The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 7, 4, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1613
