Infant temperament and the quality of the childrearing environment

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between infant temperament and the quality of the childrearing environment by examining (a) maternal ratings of infant's behavior utilizing questionnaire category scores, (b) maternal impressions of infant's behavior, (c) the relationship of maternal ratings of infant's behavior to the quality of the childrearing environment, and (d) the relationship of maternal impressions of infant's behavior to the quality of the childrearing environment. Mothers of 20 normal, full-term infants with a mean age of 5.2 months were involved in the study. During a home visit, the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire (RITQ) and the Home Observational Measurement Evaluation Inventory (HOME) were completed. Pearson Product Moment Correlation, chi-square, and Z tests were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study suggested no significant difference in the quality of the childrearing environment with difficult or easy temperament infants as measured by the questionnaire category scores. There was a significant positive relationship between infants perceived as "easier-than-average" on the maternal impression responses and maternal organization and stimulation as measured by the HOME.