Parental time use for child rearing and preschool child behavior : a comparision between urban and rural areas in central region

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to study the patterns of parental time use for child rearing related to preschool child behavior by comparing time use between fathers and mothers, comparing parents who live in urban areas to those who live in rural areas, and scrutinizing the factors that affect parental time use and preschool child behavior. The sample consisted of 420 preschool children in Central Thailand aged between 4 and 6 years old and included their parents and teachers. Data were collected through questionnaires and through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for preschool children. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Confirmatory Factor Analysis to assess construct validity and reliability of latent variables, Structural Equation Modeling to assess the consistency of the causal relationship structural model with theoretical assumptions and empirical data. It was found that 85.68% of preschool children obtained an average score in a normal group, while 12.17% were in a risk group, and 2.15% had some emotional problems. Preschool children who had a risk of hyperactivity/inattention were the most numerous, accounting for 10.95%; similar to those who were in problem group, accounting for 3.10%. The highest frequency of behavioral problems for rural children was hyperactivity/inattention (3.68%), whereas for urban children it was conduct behavior. Considering the number of risk groups and problem groups, hyperactivity/inattention is the most common problem facing preschool children. ith regard to time use for child rearing, mothers spent averagely 2 hours and 44 minutes per day, while fathers spent 1 hour and 47 minutes. Rural mothers and urban mothers spent time differently and significantly on children’s transportation (an average of 24.36 and 32.35 minutes per day, respectively) and telling a story or reading a book with their children (an average of 42.76 and 36.19 minutes per day, respectively). Statistically (p value < 0.05), rural fathers spent time differently from urban fathers in terms of taking care of children’s transportation (an average of 24.44 and 32.11 minutes per day, respectively). The result of Structural Equation Modeling showed that, in rural areas, the roles of mother and father had a direct effect to preschool child behavior (coefficients equal to 0.56 and 0.30, respectively). In urban areas, the father’s role and father’s time use for child rearing were factors that had direct effects on preschool child behavior (coefficients were 0.15 and 0.14, respectively). Policy Recommendation 1) In rural areas, the roles of the mother and father had direct effects on preschool child behavior. This means that parents who pay sufficient attention to their roles can spend time rearing their child more efficiently. Thus, to promote effective preschool child rearing, they should emphasize the quality of time spent in the family, paying attention to appropriate activities that support child behavior and development, for example reading and exercising. 2) In urban areas, therole of father and for the time he spent on child rearing had direct effects on preschool child behavior. Fathers who can participate in child rearing and family activities will foster good behavior on the parts of their child. That is because mothers in urban areas have to spend much time in their occupations, unlike mothers in rural areas. Consequently, father’s roles obviously affect their child’s behavior. Therefore, parents should encourage the participation of fathers in child rearing activities that support child behavior and development.