Background. Maternal interactive behaviors theoretically affect developmental
outcomes and mastery motivation in young children. However, these associations are
inconsistent in the literature.
Objective. The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine the differences in
maternal behaviors between toddlers with motor delay (MD) and those with typical
development (TD), (2) to investigate the correlation of maternal behaviors and
developmental quotients (DQs) in toddlers with MD and TD, and (3) to examine
the correlation of maternal behaviors and mastery motivation in toddlers with MD
and TD.
Design. This was a sex- and mental age–matched case-control study.
Methods. Twenty-two mother-child dyads of toddlers with MD (ages 23–47
months) and 22 dyads of sex- and mental age–matched toddlers with TD (ages 15–29
months) were recruited. Maternal scores from the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching
Scale, 2 indicators of motivation (persistence and mastery pleasure) from individualized
mastery tasks and the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire, and DQs from
the Comprehensive Developmental Inventory for Infants and Children were assessed.
Results: Mothers of children in the MD group showed significantly lower cognitive
growth fostering scores than mothers of children in the TD group. Maternal total
scores were significantly correlated with whole DQs in both groups. In the MD
group, maternal total scores correlated significantly with DMQ mastery pleasure but
not with mastery task motivation.
Limitations. The study design makes it impossible to know the causal relationships
between maternal behaviors and children’s DQs and motivation.
Conclusions. Mothers of toddlers with MD exhibited less adequate interactive
behaviors than mothers of toddlers with TD. Because higher-quality maternal behaviors
correlated with higher DQs in the MD group, clinicians should encourage parents
to participate in early intervention programs and model high-quality parenting behavior
to enhance parents’ and children’s outcomes.