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Characterising Maternal Sensitivity in a High Risk, Peri-urban LMIC Context: The Drakenstein Child Health Study.
Anita Prag1, Nadia Hoffman2, Juliet Stromin3
1ACSENT Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. praganita@gmail.com.
Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|January 8, 2026
Summary
Maternal sensitivity in low-income settings reveals resilient patterns. Despite harsh environments, mothers in sub-Saharan Africa demonstrate significant sensitivity, challenging Western-centric views on child development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Maternal Health
Background:
- Most research on maternal sensitivity and child development is from high-income Western countries.
- There is a lack of global data, especially from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Understanding maternal sensitivity in diverse socioeconomic contexts is crucial for global child development research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize maternal sensitivity in a low socioeconomic peri-urban context in sub-Saharan Africa.
- To validate and adapt the Emotional Availability Scale for use in this specific cultural and socioeconomic setting.
- To identify unique patterns of maternal sensitivity among mothers and their 42-month-old children.
Main Methods:
- Studied 130 mother-child dyads in a peri-urban low socioeconomic setting as part of the Drakenstein Child Health Study.
- Analyzed 10-minute video recordings of dyadic interactions using the Emotional Availability Scale.
- Conducted confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis to adapt the scale's maternal subscales to the study context.
Main Results:
- A 3-factor model (Sensitive Engagement, Non-Hostile Supportive Engagement, Non-Intrusive Engagement) better fit the data than the original 4-factor model.
- The new 'Sensitive Engagement' subscale explained 25% of the cohort variance, with mothers showing a range of sensitivity levels.
- The three factors cumulatively explained 59% of the variance, indicating robust measurement properties in this context.
Conclusions:
- Maternal sensitivity patterns in this low-income cohort are remarkably resilient despite challenging environmental conditions.
- The adapted Emotional Availability Scale provides a valid measure of maternal sensitivity in this sub-Saharan African context.
- Findings highlight the importance of culturally sensitive research and challenge assumptions based solely on Western data.
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