Infant Temperament in Russia, United States of America, and Israel: Differences and Similarities Between Russian-speaking Families

Abstract

The present study addresses cross-cultural differences between infants born to families of Russian immigrants in USA and Israel, as well as Russian families residing in Russia, with the emphasis on evaluating the impact of immigration and acculturation. Community samples of primary caregivers of infants between 3 and 12 months of age were recruited and asked to complete temperament (IBQ-R) and acculturation (SAM) questionnaires. Results support our hypotheses that cultural influences contribute to shaping infant temperament, in so far as differences between the samples of infants were found in Perceptual Sensitivity and Low Intensity Pleasure domains of temperament. Although, a number of temperament scales did not significantly correlate with the degree of parents' acculturation, different patterns of correlations emerged for Russian-Israeli and for Russian-American samples.

The Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised: Factor structure in a culturally and sociodemographically diverse sample in the United States

“…Children’s social settings, familial customs, and caregivers’ psychosocial characteristics and beliefs may influence the meaning of children’s temperament (Cozzi et al, 2013; Gartstein, Peleg, Young, & Slobodskaya, 2009; Super & Harkness, 1986). Consequently, parents may engage in caregiving practices that reinforce the characteristics consistent with their values and those of their cultural group (Dragan et al, 2011; Gartstein et al, 2006, 2009), leading to cross-cultural differences in the development of temperament (Gartstein et al, 2006).…”

“…Children’s social settings, familial customs, and caregivers’ psychosocial characteristics and beliefs may influence the meaning of children’s temperament (Cozzi et al, 2013; Gartstein, Peleg, Young, & Slobodskaya, 2009; Super & Harkness, 1986). Consequently, parents may engage in caregiving practices that reinforce the characteristics consistent with their values and those of their cultural group (Dragan et al, 2011; Gartstein et al, 2006, 2009), leading to cross-cultural differences in the development of temperament (Gartstein et al, 2006). Support for this hypothesis comes from a number of studies among infants from different cultural groups that show differences on mean ratings across temperament scales (e.g., Cozzi et al, 2013; Dragan et al, 2011; Gartstein et al, 2006, 2009; Montirosso et al, 2011).…”

“…Consequently, parents may engage in caregiving practices that reinforce the characteristics consistent with their values and those of their cultural group (Dragan et al, 2011; Gartstein et al, 2006, 2009), leading to cross-cultural differences in the development of temperament (Gartstein et al, 2006). Support for this hypothesis comes from a number of studies among infants from different cultural groups that show differences on mean ratings across temperament scales (e.g., Cozzi et al, 2013; Dragan et al, 2011; Gartstein et al, 2006, 2009; Montirosso et al, 2011). Importantly, limited longitudinal data suggest that cross-cultural differences in parental report of infant temperament represent true differences in infant behavior, not differences in parental perception/reporting biases (Gartstein et al, 2006).…”

“…Although the IBQ-R has been adapted into many languages and studies support its reliability and validity in a variety of cultures (Gartstein & Rothbart, 2003; Gartstein, Slobodskaya, & Kinsht, 2003; Montirosso et al, 2011), there has been relatively little examination of potential cultural and other sociodemographic influences on its factor structure (Gartstein et al, 2009). A small number of studies have attempted to replicate the original factor structure of the IBQ-R in samples representing different cultures.…”

What promotes secure attachment in early adoption? The protective roles of infants’ temperament and adoptive parents’ attachment

“…Gartstein, Peleg, Young, & Slobodskaya, 2009;Montirosso, Cozzi, Putnam, Gartstein, & Borgatti, 2010), longitudinal research (Putnam, Rothbart, & Gartstein, 2008), and in investigations of convergent validity in relation to observational procedures (Parade & Leerkes, 2008); moreover, the dimensions addressed through the questionnaire are recognized as representative of the temperamental dimensions in infancy (Zentner & Shiner, 2012).…”