Cultural Differences in the Parenting of Young Children: An Observational Study of Low-Income Mexican American and European American Families

We compared 57 Mexican American (MA) parents of children aged 3-7 to 86 demographically similar European American (EA) parents on a standardized, observational coding system for parent-child interactions. MA parents expressed less verbal approval in two of three play situations, and more verbal disapproval of their children in one of three play situations. MA parents used more direct commands than their EA counterparts in one situation. All analyses controlled for both child age and maternal education. We found no differences on behavioral descriptions or reflective statements, but EA parents were more likely than MA parents to use indirect commands. Implications for cultural modifications to BPT programs are discussed.