ABSTRACT

Supportive social interactions between nonparental adults (i.e. social work professionals, volunteers, and other parents that have contact with children but are not the primary caregiver), parents, and children are important for children’s well-being and development. Parenting styles, types of child behaviour, and location in the neighbourhood may influence these interactions. The aim of the present study was to identify when and how nonparental adults respond in interactions with other adults and children in the neighbourhood. A mixed-method study with vignettes and interviews (N = 114) was conducted to gain insight into which factors (parenting style, child behaviour, location in the neighbourhood) influence the nonparental adults’ intention to respond to children and/or parents. Nonparental adults indicated they were most likely to respond in the context of a permissive parenting style or a child’s externalising behaviour. Professionals more often felt responsible than parents and volunteers, although they did not respond more often. All three factors were related to the participants’ willingness to respond and promote a supportive social structure in the neighbourhood. Social work professionals and their organisations can use this study to identify social support interactions and to discuss their responsibilities.

摘要

非父母成人（即社会工作专业人员、志愿者和其他与儿童接触但不是主要照顾者的父母）、父母和儿童之间的支持性社会互动对儿童的幸福和发展很重要。养育方式、儿童行为类型和附近的位置可能会影响这些互动。本研究的目的是确定非父母成人在与邻居的其他成人和儿童互动时的反应时间和方式。带有小插曲和访谈的混合方法研究（N = 114）旨在深入了解哪些因素（养育方式、儿童行为、社区位置）影响非父母成人对儿童和/或父母的反应意图。非父母成人表示他们最有可能在宽容的养育方式或孩子的外化行为的背景下做出回应。专业人士比父母和志愿者更经常感到有责任感，尽管他们的回应频率不高。这三个因素都与参与者响应和促进社区支持性社会结构的意愿有关。社会工作专业人士及其组织可以使用这项研究来确定社会支持互动并讨论他们的责任。