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Child Development Milestones Awareness Study

This study investigates the awareness of child developmental milestones among emerging adult mothers and fathers in urban and rural areas of Pakistan. It aims to compare the knowledge levels between these groups and identify their sources of information. The research highlights the importance of parental awareness in fostering realistic expectations and positive interactions that contribute to child development.

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18 views9 pages

Child Development Milestones Awareness Study

This study investigates the awareness of child developmental milestones among emerging adult mothers and fathers in urban and rural areas of Pakistan. It aims to compare the knowledge levels between these groups and identify their sources of information. The research highlights the importance of parental awareness in fostering realistic expectations and positive interactions that contribute to child development.

Uploaded by

Neha
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

RUNNING HEAD: Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones 1

Title: Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones in Urban and Rural Areas of

Pakistan among the Emerging Adult Mothers and Fathers: A Comparative Study

Neha Qureshi

FA17/BPY/033

Comsats University, Islamabad

Research Synopsis

Ma’am Tayyaba Hanif

October 30, 2020


Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones 2

Introduction

The first few years play a significant role in development of the child, as well as deep

rooted learning. Certain physical skills and behavior seen in children as they grow up are called

as developmental milestones. It involves; crawling, talking, grasping a fork, walking. How

children play, learn, act, behave, speak and move is how they reach their milestones.

There is an ordinary reach where a kid may arrive at every milestone. For instance,

strolling may start as right on time as 8 months in certain kids. Others stroll as late as year and a

half and it is yet viewed as normal.

Child developmental milestones have been divided in four major categories, which

includes; Physical milestones- it involves large motor skills and fine motor skills, Social &

Emotional milestones- it involves children gaining a better understanding their emotional as

well as others and making sense of the social interactions, Cognitive milestones- it is the child’s

ability to think, learn and solve problems, and Communication milestones- it involves verbal

aswell nonverbal communication.

Standard data exists for these milestones, for instance, a child is expected to walk

unaided at around one year, the years 0-3 are critical in the formation of intelligence,

personality and social behavior. Brain develops at around the age of 1 year at much higher and

rapid rate than before, moreover, brain develops through environmental influences such as;

nutrition, care, stimulation, social interactions during this age too (Tinajero and Loizillon, 2010).

Racial and Ethnic disparities of primary health care for children was a study conducted in

2002, in the study, the white population scored higher than nonwhite racial groups on
Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones 3

awareness of child developmental milestone between 3 months to 1 year. An expected

clarification for an absence of information on developmental ability might be because of less

communications with the kid's pediatrician and, hence, less arrangement of expectant direction

(Stevens 2002).

The biggest multicultural investigation on when children gain developmental milestones

was directed on an aggregate of 28 139 kids aged 0–6 years in urban and rural zones of China,

India and Thailand (Lansdown et al. 1996). In this research, there were likenesses in times of

achievement of most developmental milestones between and inside nations, especially those

for more younger children. Also, in the World Health Organization (WHO) Multicenter Growth

Reference study led in Ghana, India, Norway, Oman and the United States, inconsequential

contrasts were found among nations and genders in accomplishment of major motor

milestones (WHO 2006). Regardless of consistency in children's' fulfillment of culturally

autonomous developmental milestones, guardians' information on when kids secure

developmental skills seems to vary between societies.

Studies conducted cross culturally and studies conducted on minorities or immigrants in

Western countries have concluded that there has been huge difference on maternal awareness

about child developmental milestones between as well as in societies (Sistler & Gottfried 1990;

Kolobe 2004; Huang et al. 2005) (Pachter & Dworkin 1997; Bornstein & Cote 2004).

Despite the fact that there have been basically no studies focused on fathers' awareness

of child developmental milestones, it's as yet safe to reason that fathers assume a significant

part in child development too. Fathers who are effectively engaged with their kids' lives add to
Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones 4

their enthusiastic wellbeing, generally health, social development and self-esteem, as indicated

by the U.S. Branch of Health and Human Services. Devoted and capable fathering during early

stages and early childhood additionally adds to emotional stability, improved math and verbal

aptitudes. Fathers who react to their infants' cries, hold and embrace them a ton, and partake

in their essential consideration (e.g., taking care of, changing diapers) will in general positively

affect their kids' self-assurance and conduct. Studies show that when fathers are more

associated with the child, their children are less likely to have mental health issues in future.

Parent’s awareness about child developmental milestones plays a major part in their

expectations and social interactions with the child. Having accurate knowledge about the

developmental milestones resulting in realistic expectations with the child are the vital factors

in effective parenting and better outcomes of the child as an adult. As mostly mothers and

fathers are the primary caregivers of the child during infancy, their knowledge of the milestones

builds a healthy and nourishing environment for the child, have realistic expectations and

positive interactions with the child. Research evidence suggests that a healthy start of the

child’s life results in an efficient individual in the future, as the first few years are the most

crucial time period for the brain development and child’s growth in other aspects. According to

the literature, parents that have less awareness about the child developmental milestones have

unrealistic expectations from the child. To monitor child’s growth, identify disabilities and

delays in development, it is necessary for parents to understand development and growth.

Rationale of the Study


Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones 5

Child psychologist in Western societies have been working on the child’s developmental

milestones and the caretaker’s awareness about them for as long as 1980s. Unfortunately, in

Pakistan, little to none has been detailed around parental information child developmental

milestones, with only one study conducted among the moms of urban community of Faisalabad

and Jaranwala in January 2016, uncovering moms have lacking information around child

development. It was observed that information of larger part of the moms is based on casual

encounters only. Considering the significance of this topic and the need of data around it, the

point of this study is to investigate awareness about children’s developmental milestones in

Pakistan among urban as well as rural regions among mothers and fathers. We moreover point

to distinguish the sources of data that guardians depend on for gathering information about

children’s developmental milestones. Ideally, the conclusions drawn from this study can help

government raise awareness about child developmental milestones in different areas of the

country. It would help in educating caregivers about their child’s milestones and give them a

direction towards realistic expectations. It would also help in pointing out which areas need

more educational programs regarding child’s development.

Method

Objectives

1. To assess the knowledge of rural and urban mothers and fathers

regarding the child developmental milestones.

2. To compare the knowledge of rural and urban mothers regarding the

child developmental milestones.


Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones 6

3. To compare the knowledge of rural and urban fathers regarding the child

developmental milestones.

4. To compare the knowledge of mothers and fathers regarding the child

developmental milestones.

5. To identify the sources of knowledge.

Research Design

The research design used in this study will be cross sectional and comparative study

design. It will be a qualitative study, conducted through interview method.

Sample

A sample of 40 mothers and 40 fathers from rural areas, and 40 mothers and 40 fathers

from urban area will be recruited for this study. Under the non-probability technique,

convenience sampling technique will be used, and the age range of the parents will be between

19-25 years (emerging adulthood), furthermore, the children of the recruited mothers and

fathers will be under-three.

Measures/Instruments

Procedure

The method of the study will be Interview based. After the literature review, a semi

structured interview protocol will be developed for the participants of the study by reviewing

the existing literature and inventories regarding child developmental milestones, the culture

and norms of the country will be kept in mind. The semi structured interview will have open-
Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones 7

ended questions to obtain dimensional data on the full range of answers, to minimize test

taking anxiety and to minimize the tendency for socially appropriate responses. The items of

the interview will be pilot tested on a sample of 24 mothers and 24 fathers with similar

sociodemographic characteristics as the study sample. In case of any inconvenience, the items

will be reviewed for the final study.

The researcher will recruit 40 mothers and 40 fathers from Urban areas of Pakistan, and

40 mothers and 40 fathers from Rural areas of Pakistan through convenience sampling. The

participants will be debriefed about the aim of the study, and the researcher will interview the

participants. The results of the Urban and Rural areas will be compared, followed by a

comparison between the results of mothers and fathers.

Analysis Scheme

The data collected would be analyzed through a statistic software “Statistical Package

for Social Sciences” (SPSS). It is a comprehensive system for analysis data as it can analyses

qualitative as well as quantitative raw data and then is able to generate tabulated reports,

charts, plots of distribution, and descriptive statistics and form detailed results.

Descriptive analysis and bivariate comparisons will be used to assess differences in

knowledge between mothers and fathers, as well as rural and urban residents. Between group

comparisons of categorical variables chi-squared tests will be used. If required, inferential

statistics will also be used.


Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones 8

References

Stevens JH: Child development knowledge and parenting skills. Family Relations. 1984, 33: 237-

244. 10.2307/583789.

Dichtelmiller M, Meisels S, Plunkett J, Bozynski M, Claflin C, Mangelsdorf S: The relationship of

parental knowledge to the development of extremely low birth weight infants. Journal

of Epidemiology and Community Health. 1992, 16: 210-220.

Hunt JM, Paraskevopoulos J: Children's psychological development as a function of the

inaccuracy of their mothers' knowledge of their abilities. The Journal of Genetic

Psychology. 1980, 136: 285-298.

Benasich AA, Brooks-Gunn J: Maternal attitudes and knowledge of child-rearing: Associations

with family and child outcomes. Child Development. 1996, 67: 1186-1205.

10.2307/1131887.

Reich S: What do mothers know? Maternal knowledge of child development. Infant Mental

Health Journal. 2005, 26: 143-156. 10.1002/imhj.20038.

Alkhazrajy A. Assessment of mother ’s knowledge regarding the developmental milestone

among children under two years in Iraq. Am J Appl Sci. 2017; 14: 869-877.

adolescent mothers/fathers (<19 years old)

emerging adult mothers/fathers (19–25 years old)


Exploring Awareness of Child Developmental Milestones 9

adult mothers/fathers (>25 years old)

Common questions

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The use of semi-structured interviews in the study allows for the collection of rich, qualitative data, capturing diverse parental understandings and practices related to developmental milestones. This method facilitates an in-depth exploration of how awareness actually translates into parenting behaviors and expectations in real-life settings, which is crucial for tailoring educational interventions to the specific needs of different communities .

The study adopted a cross-sectional and comparative design using qualitative interviews. This approach was suitable as it allowed for detailed data collection on awareness levels from different demographics—urban vs. rural and mothers vs. fathers—without the need for a longitudinal commitment. By using interviews, researchers could gather nuanced information beyond what standard questionnaires might provide, addressing the specific cultural and contextual nuances of Pakistan .

Parental awareness of child developmental milestones differs significantly between urban and rural regions in Pakistan. The study suggests that parents in urban areas might have slightly better awareness than those in rural areas, largely due to more exposure to educational information and healthcare services. However, data is sparse and largely anecdotal as comprehensive studies have previously been lacking .

Findings from international studies indicate that although the achievement of developmental milestones is largely consistent across various cultures, the awareness of these milestones significantly differs due to cultural influences. In Pakistan, the limited awareness among parents could be influenced by cultural norms and less access to standardized information compared to Western settings. Thus, these international findings underscore the need for culturally sensitive educational programs in Pakistan to enhance parental awareness .

Fathers' involvement in early child development stages significantly impacts their children's future mental health. Active paternal engagement is linked to emotional well-being and can reduce the likelihood of mental health issues later in life. Fathers contribute to emotional stability and resilience through bonding activities, which help in building self-esteem and adaptive social skills in children .

Considering cultural contexts is essential because parental awareness and behaviors are significantly influenced by cultural norms and available resources. The study focuses on Pakistan to highlight how awareness levels differ from those in Western countries, suggesting a tailored approach to parenting education. It exemplifies that a one-size-fits-all model is ineffective and cultural specificity can greatly enhance the relevance and impact of educational initiatives .

Varying levels of awareness about developmental milestones among emerging adult parents have several implications for child development. Parents with accurate knowledge are more likely to have realistic expectations and engage in positive interactions with their children, which fosters a healthy and nourishing environment conducive to optimal development. Conversely, lacking awareness can lead to unrealistic expectations, which may impact children’s emotional well-being and developmental progress negatively .

Fathers, though less studied, play a crucial role in child development comparable to mothers. Fathers who are actively involved contribute significantly to emotional stability and enhanced cognitive skills in children. However, studies have predominantly focused on mothers' awareness, suggesting a potential gap in understanding fathers’ contributions, especially regarding their awareness of developmental milestones. This highlights the need for inclusive research to adequately compare both roles .

The implications for policy include the need for government initiatives to raise awareness about the importance of developmental milestones and provide educational resources to parents. Targeted programs might focus on rural areas where awareness is particularly low. Such policies could improve early childhood outcomes by equipping parents with the knowledge needed to support their child’s development effectively .

Awareness of developmental milestones critically shapes parental expectations, influencing how they interact with and nurture their child. Accurate knowledge enables realistic expectations, fostering supportive interactions and a nurturing environment essential for children’s well-being. It prevents unrealistic demands that could lead to frustration for both the child and parent, thus supporting healthier psychosocial development .

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