Family types and parenting styles for infants in Khon Kaen province

The care of infants during their first six months is a significant matter. As there have been shifts in social and economic conditions, families are diverging into several forms. This study aimed to explore parenting styles for infants and the relation between parenting styles for infants and family types.

This study was a cross‑sectional study, focusing on the main caregivers of approximately six‑month‑old infants. The data was collected from February to July 2021. The research tool employed was an interview form. The collected data was then analyzed.

Two hundred sixty‑four families of primary caregivers were included in the study. The family type most frequently found was the skipped generation family, accounting for 119 families (45%). All family types mostly practiced the uninvolved parenting style as the parenting style for infants. Regarding response to infants, most families practiced the permissive parenting style. When investigating relations between parenting style for infants and family type, it was found that skipped generation family caregivers practiced a less authoritative parenting style than the nuclear family, including holding family activities with the infant (0.16, 95%CI: 0.05–0.47); when the infant raises their voice to communicate (0.32, 95%CI: 0.14–0.71); training the infant to roll over (0.21, 95%CI: 0.06–0.69); when the infant cries (0.16, 95%CI: 0.05–0.47); and when the infant does not respond (0.19, 95%, CI: 0.05–0.74)

The most practiced parenting style for infants among all the three family types was the uninvolved parenting style. Regarding the response to infants, the permissive parenting style was mostly observed.