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The incidence of stress in preschool children : a cross cultural study
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Type
Thesis
Author
Betts, Debra Jean Mainwaring
Supervisor
Seng, Alice Seok-Hoon
Abstract
Cultural and gender differences were assessed along with cognitive maturity while designing an instrument for teachers to use in the screening of children for vulnerability to stress. Subjects were British Expatriate children (n=39; mean age=5.02 years) attending the reception class of an International Primary school and Singaporean Chinese children (n=33; mean age=4.09 years) attending private kindergartens in Singapore.
Male children were found to be more vulnerable to stress in both cultural groups. Using an adapted version of Coddington's (1972) Children's Life Events Inventory there were found to be both qualitative and quantitative differences in the types of stresses being experienced by the two cultural groups. Significantly more Singaporean Chinese children had experienced the addition of a third party to their family (e.g. grandparent) than British Expatriate children. Significantly more parents of British Expatriate children reported learning difficulties in school than those of Singaporean Chinese children. Many of the British Expatriate children had been born in Singapore yet significantly more of them had experienced their family moving to a new country than Singaporean Chinese children. The British Expatriate children were reported by their teachers to be less mature cognitively and have poorer coping skills when faced with a stressful life event than the Singaporean Chinese children. There was a negative relationship between the teacher's perception of a child's coping skills and her rating of a child's cognitive maturity.
Based on these findings, it is recommended/suggested that screening preschoolers on entry would appear to be a useful course of proactive intervention by the class teacher. The screening would need to include a Life Events Inventory, such as the one used in this study, which may be adapted to suit the population (culture especially) of the children targeted.
In addition, using case studies would ascertain further possible cultural differences in child-rearing practices which may account for the groups studied, here experiencing, both quantitatively and qualitatively different stressors. Expanding the use of the Faces scale to other Life events may elicit more profound responses from the children. Unfortunate, the measures used to ascertain a child's perception of the stressor starting school, did not prove to be a powerful indicator of vulnerability to stress.
Introducing another group of subjects for comparison would be interesting, particularly a sample of British children resident in the United Kingdom since this may indicate whether the British Expatriate children were found to be more vulnerable to stress than the local population because of their expatriate status.
Further research could ascertain how prepared teachers in preschools are and provide guidelines for suitable in-service programmes for all preschools teachers and relevant course units for trainee teachers if the screening mentioned is to be effective.
Male children were found to be more vulnerable to stress in both cultural groups. Using an adapted version of Coddington's (1972) Children's Life Events Inventory there were found to be both qualitative and quantitative differences in the types of stresses being experienced by the two cultural groups. Significantly more Singaporean Chinese children had experienced the addition of a third party to their family (e.g. grandparent) than British Expatriate children. Significantly more parents of British Expatriate children reported learning difficulties in school than those of Singaporean Chinese children. Many of the British Expatriate children had been born in Singapore yet significantly more of them had experienced their family moving to a new country than Singaporean Chinese children. The British Expatriate children were reported by their teachers to be less mature cognitively and have poorer coping skills when faced with a stressful life event than the Singaporean Chinese children. There was a negative relationship between the teacher's perception of a child's coping skills and her rating of a child's cognitive maturity.
Based on these findings, it is recommended/suggested that screening preschoolers on entry would appear to be a useful course of proactive intervention by the class teacher. The screening would need to include a Life Events Inventory, such as the one used in this study, which may be adapted to suit the population (culture especially) of the children targeted.
In addition, using case studies would ascertain further possible cultural differences in child-rearing practices which may account for the groups studied, here experiencing, both quantitatively and qualitatively different stressors. Expanding the use of the Faces scale to other Life events may elicit more profound responses from the children. Unfortunate, the measures used to ascertain a child's perception of the stressor starting school, did not prove to be a powerful indicator of vulnerability to stress.
Introducing another group of subjects for comparison would be interesting, particularly a sample of British children resident in the United Kingdom since this may indicate whether the British Expatriate children were found to be more vulnerable to stress than the local population because of their expatriate status.
Further research could ascertain how prepared teachers in preschools are and provide guidelines for suitable in-service programmes for all preschools teachers and relevant course units for trainee teachers if the screening mentioned is to be effective.
Date Issued
1991
Call Number
BF575.S75 Bet
Date Submitted
1991