Parental interaction with twins: an observational study

Abstract

According to the parental investment theory, the number of children and the birth spacing are important predictors of parental care. Therefore, comprehending parental investment in a twin's context is fundamental. Parenthood in twin children has also some particularities: the children are in the same development stage, they may have similar physical and psychological characteristics and attention, care and resources have to be divided between them since the pregnancy. Additionally, there is the magnitude of differential parent treatment (DPT). DPT refers to the degree of which parents treat each of their children differently, according to different styles and practices. The difference may occur from the relationships that parents establish with each of their children and children's characteristics, such as temperament, health condition and sex can be important determinants. The triadic relationship between the mother and her twin children can be accessed through maternal self-report by validated questionnaires. However, by allying a self-report instrument to the direct observation of this interaction, the data's value and reliability become more significant; as well as making it possible to observe other unforeseen behaviors. The present study's objective is to, through the direct observation of the interaction between the mother and her children, quantify the frequency of the mother's/father's behavior, in order to characterize the parenting style and verify it's relation with the children's characteristics (e.g, zygosity, sex and development indicators). According to our research protocol twins will sit side by side with a puzzle in front of each (equal for both) and will have 10 minutes to solve the task. The mother/father stands behind and between them and can choose to help one of them or both. The experimental triadic task aims to simulate everyday situations, in which each mother/father has limited resources of time and energy and two children demanding attention. The behaviors will be coded and quatified using the software Behavioral Observation Research Interactive Software (BORIS).