Parenting style in a rapidly developing country: A report from the state of Qatar

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the different styles of parenting in the State of Qatar, a country that is considered a cosmopolitan hub with rapid development. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Sidra Medicine, the only tertiary pediatric hospital in Qatar. Parents of children 3–14 years old were offered a questionnaire. Results: A total of 114 questionnaires were completed (response rate = 95%). Approximately 65% of parents were between 30 and 39 years of age. Almost 90% of parents state that they are confident of their parenting ability. More than 90% of the participating parents stated that they are responsive to their child's feeling and needs, give comfort and understanding when their child is upset, praise their child when well-behaved, give reasons why rules should be followed, help children understand the impact of their behavior, explain consequences of bad behavior, take into account their child's desire before asking him/her to do something, encourage their child to freely express him/herself when disagreeing with his/her parents, and show respect to their child's opinion. However, 60% of parents sometimes scold, yell, and criticize their child when he/she misbehaves but less than 50% of them use threats as a consequence with little or no justification. Furthermore, two-thirds of parents give consequences by putting their child off somewhere with little or no explanation. Moreover, one in four participants gives in to their child when he/she causes a commotion about something, threatens their child with consequences more often than actually giving them, and states consequences to their child and do not actually do them. Conclusion: Residents in Qatar have a mixed type of parental style (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive). This study will guide us to raise the awareness about the types of parenting style in Qatar, in order to provide professional parenting counseling taking into consideration the cultural background.

Evaluating the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Saudi Arabian Parents Regarding Red Flags in Developmental Milestones

“…This lack of parent clarity regarding what constitutes developmentally appropriate skills at different life stages carries significant detrimental implications. Parents' ability to recognize red flags and abnormal delays hinges on internalized reference intervals for when children should achieve functional developmental capacity in areas like mobility, speech, or socialization [ 11 , 12 ]. Misconceptions regarding age-appropriate competence can heighten caregiver anxiety and precipitate premature interventions [ 13 - 15 ].…”

“…Strengthening pediatric partnerships through clinical policies prioritizing detailed, repeated development data exchange could help bridge consciousness disconnects [ 12 ]. Standardized screening questionnaires for routinely tracking maturation across domains beyond infancy could enhance detection capacities [ 14 ].…”

Development of the Arabic Inventory of Parent and Domestic Worker Attachment (A‐IPDWA): A tool to assess adolescents' attachment to secondary figures

“…Two features of the Arabic (younger and culturally distinct) sample may account for that issue: first, acquiescence has been found in younger kids responding to multiple-choice questions (e.g., Suárez-Álvarez et al, 2018), and second, higher acquiescence levels were observed in responses of participants from cultures with a lower level of democratization (He et al, 2014). Parenting practices in Qatar, where obedience to authority is esteemed (Hendaus et al, 2021), may contribute to this response pattern. Participants might perceive the researcher as a figure of authority, potentially elevating acquiescence levels within our study.…”