The present study aimed to investigate Brazilian mothers' socialization goals. The participants in the study were 349 primiparous mothers, whose ages ranged from 17 to 47 years (mean = 26.6 years), who had children aged between 1 and 48 months (mean = 16.4 months). The families were living in seven different cities representing each of the five geographical regions of the country. A scale to evaluate the families' socio-economic status and an interview about socialization goals were used. The answers were coded in five categories defined in previous studies: self-maximization, self-control, lovingness, proper demeanor, and decency. Comparison of the means showed that Brazilian mothers gave more emphasis to self-maximization and proper demeanor than to the other categories, presenting a pattern that fosters the development of children's autonomous-relational selves. The intracultural variation found was related to the different cities studied. GLM results showed main effects of both city size and mothers' educational level on their socialization goals. These findings contribute to the understanding of characteristics of socialization goals related with autonomy and sociocentrism.

ResumoEste estudo objetivou avaliar efeitos da experiência de creche no desenvolvimento cognitivo de crianças freqüentando creche, em comparação com crianças que permaneciam em casa, todas de um bairro pobre de Salvador e condições sócio econômicas eqüivalentes. Dois grupos de crianças (18 em creche e 19 em casa), juntamente com suas mães, participaram do estudo. As Escalas Bayley ou WPPSI-R (dependendo da idade da criança) foram aplicadas quatro vezes em 26 meses; subsidiariamente, as mães foram entrevistadas para fornecer uma avaliação do desempenho da criança a partir de seu ponto de vista. Os resultados mostraram que o desenvolvimento cognitivo foi afetado pela renda das famílias e, parcialmente, pela escolaridade materna. Freqüentar a creche não produziu resultados significativos em desempenho cognitivo, enquanto a avaliação materna indicou algumas diferenças entre os dois grupos na primeira avaliação, que desapareceram, na maior parte, na última. Os resultados são parcialmente compatíveis com a literatura, e suas implicações são discutidas. Palavras chave: Creche; efeito de creche; desenvolvimento cognitivo. AbstractThis study aimed to assess effects of the day care center experience on the cognitive development of pre-school children. Two groups of children, 18 from day care centers and 19 who were cared for at their homes were studied, including their mothers, took part in this study. Both groups had equivalent socioeconomic status and lived in a very poor neighborhood. Bayley Scales or WPPSI-R Scale (according to age) were used four times in a 26 month period; as an auxiliary research instrument, the mothers were interviewed for providing a child assessment from their own point of view. The results show that family income and, to some extent, the mother's school level affected cognitive development. Attendance to a day care center did not produce significant differences in cognitive development; maternal assessments suggested some differences between groups in the first evaluation, which disappeared, most of them, in the last one. These results are compatible partially with international literature and their implications are discussed. Keywords: Day care center; effect of day care center; cognitive development.Nos 50 anos que se seguiram à segunda guerra mundial, as transformações na estrutura da família foram dramáticas, em termos de padrões de natalidade, atribuição de papéis e tarefas, modos de cuidar das crianças e padrões de relacionamento social. A entrada maciça da mulher na força de trabalho e a falta de pessoas disponíveis para cuidar das crianças forçaram as sociedades a criar e manter instituições onde as crianças de zero a seis anos poderiam passar o dia.A psicologia do desenvolvimento, especialmente nos Estados Unidos, começou a avaliar os efeitos dessa experiên-cia no desenvolvimento da criança, em diversas esferas, como o apego mãe-criança, habilidades sociais e cognitivas e padrões de ajustamento à escola e à comunidade, entre outras. O ambiente de discussão dessas avaliações tem sido tu...

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This study aimed to investigate characteristics of Brazilian mothers' beliefs system, in the dimensions of autonomy and interdependence. A group of 600 women, half from state capitals and half from small towns, participated in the study. They were individually interviewed with Scales of Allocentrism, Beliefs about Parental Practices and Socialization Goals. Paired and Independent samples t tests and Multivariate GLM were performed. The results indicate that although mothers from both contexts value autonomy, mothers inhabiting small towns considered the relational dimension as the most important; whereas mothers inhabiting capitals valued equally both dimensions, either in their beliefs about practices or in the socialization goals for their children. Mothers from small towns have a higher mean score for allocentrism than mothers living in capitals. Thus, place of residence proved to be a relevant variable in the modulation of maternal beliefs. Educational level was not a significant factor in the variables considered and with this group of mothers. The study results are discussed in terms of their contribution to the understanding of the complex relationship between dimensions of autonomy and interdependence in mothers' beliefs system.

This longitudinal study investigated the impact of maternal mental health, including postpartum depression, and of maternal-fetal attachment, on maternal sensitivity when babies were eight months old. The study included 38 mother-infant dyads. The women answered the SRQ-20 and the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale in the third trimester of pregnancy, and the BDI, for evaluation of postpartum depression in the first month following birth. Maternal sensitivity was examined through an observation of mother-child interaction when babies were eight months old. The multiple regression model considering the three factors explained 18.6% of the variance in sensitivity, and only maternal-fetal attachment was a significant predictor. The results indicate the importance of interventions to promote the bond of pregnant women with their babies, which may even minimize possible harmful effects of postpartum depression on mother-child interaction.

RESUMO. Na perspectiva etológica, padrões de brincadeira e de parceria social são características típicas de cada espécie, conferindo ao fenômeno regularidade e certa universalidade, embora em interação com as condições ambientais presentes. Como o ambiente de creches afeta esses padrões? Este estudo objetivou a descrição dos padrões de parceria social e tipos de brincadeiras, em crianças de um a três anos. Foram filmadas 62 crianças, de creches públicas e privadas, brincando nos ambientes cotidianos das creches. Amostras das observações foram categorizadas nas dimensões tipo de parceria social e tipo de brincadeira, registrando-se suas freqüências, as quais foram relacionadas às variáveis sexo, idade, tempo na creche, tipo de creche e densidade, analisando-se os resultados através de ANOVA e correlação. Todas as variáveis mostraram associação com algumas das categorias de preferência por parceiros e tipos de brincadeiras. Os resultados são discutidos na perspectiva etológica, que atribui à brincadeira motivação intrínseca e sensibilidade às condições ambientais.

Mothers’ beliefs about their practices in different Brazilian contexts were investigated in this study. A sample of 350 primiparous Brazilian mothers from seven cities, each from one of the five geographic regions of the country, participated in this study. As part of a major project, mothers answered an inventory concerning their beliefs about practices of child care and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Factorial analysis revealed three factors, named Proper Presentation (the importance mothers attribute to parental practices oriented by socially accepted daily rules), Stimulation (the importance attributed by mothers to practices that stimulate their children’s development), and Responsiveness and Bonding (the importance attributed by mothers to the immediate responses to children’s needs and to a bond of intense proximity and protection).The sample studied valued most Proper Presentation, followed by Stimulation. Less importance was attributed to Responsiveness and Bonding. Mothers’ educational level was a predictor of scores on Stimulation, and fathers’ educational level was a predictor of scores on Proper Presentation. Some regional differences were identified regarding Proper Presentation. A general model that encompasses aspects of socialization for group interaction and also cognitive and social stimulation seems to be shared by mothers of the different geographic regions of the country. This model is influenced by educational level and cultural conditions. Future studies need to address the development of instruments to analyze Brazilian parental cultural models and the implications of these models to children’s development.

ResumoO estudo investigou as relações entre variáveis sociodemográficas, saúde mental da gestante e o apego materno-fetal no terceiro trimestre de gestação. Participaram do estudo 261 gestantes selecionadas através de amostragem por acessibilidade em quatro maternidades públicas. As gestantes responderam individualmente uma ficha de dados sociodemográficos, a Escala de Apego Materno-Fetal e o SRQ-20. A análise de regressão revelou que o número de filhos (4%) e a saúde mental materna (4,2%) explicaram parte da variância no apego materno-fetal. A escolaridade da mãe e do pai não esteve associada a essa variável. O modelo de regressão múltipla considerando os quatro fatores analisados, explicou 8,2% da variância nos escores de apego materno-fetal. Discutem-se as implicações dessas variáveis na formação do vínculo da mãe com o bebê durante a gestação.Palavras-chave: saúde mental; apego materno-fetal; gestação. AbstractRelations between pregnant women's mental health and maternal-fetal attachment. This study investigated the relations among sociodemographic variables, pregnant women mental health, and maternal-fetal attachment in the third trimester of pregnancy. Participants were 261 pregnant women recruited from public maternity wards using a convenience sampling technique. Each pregnant woman completed a sociodemographic data form, the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale, and the SRQ-20. Regression analysis revealed that the number of children (4%) and mothers' mental health (4.2%) accounted for part of the variance in maternalfetal attachment scores. Father's and mother's schooling was not associated with this variable. Taking the four analyzed factors into account, a multiple regression model accounted for 8.2% of the variance in the maternal-fetal attachment scores. The implications of these variables for mother-infant bonding during pregnancy are discussed.