Indagine del concetto di rischio in età scolare, nelle accezioni di rischio fisico e psicologico, correlati a stress genitoriale, stili d'attaccamento, immagine di sé e caratteristiche comportamentali del bambino. / Study of risk concept in school age children, meaning as physical and psychological risk, related to parental stress, self image and child behaviour.

Many parents experience high levels of stress after the birth of a premature infant admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) given the often fragile status of their infant and the numerous medical interventions necessary to stabilize the infant. Previous research has found that parents of very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks‟ gestation) infants often experience high levels of stress, particularly in relation to feelings of having lost their parental role. Of particular concern are findings which suggest that such symptoms may last beyond the immediate hospitalization period to have an adverse effect on the parental ability to provide quality infant care-giving at home. However, little is known about the paternal NICU stress response, the role of stressors external to the NICU environment and the perceptions of NICU staff. Against this background, aims of this thesis were: 1) to describe and compare sources of NICU stress for mothers and fathers of VPT infants, 2) to identify key predictors of parental NICU stress, 3) to describe staff perceptions of parental NICU stress, and 4) to identify parental stressors external to the NICU. Two cohorts of parents of VPT infants were studied: 11 mothers and 10 fathers of VPT infants (<32 weeks' gestation) admitted to a level III NICU, Christchurch Women's Hospital; and 68 mothers and 68 fathers of VPT infants (<30 weeks' gestation) who participated in the Victorian Infant Brain Studies, admitted to the Royal Women‟s Hospital NICU, Melbourne. Twenty-three NICU nurses from Christchurch Women‟s Hospital, level III NICU were also interviewed. The Parental Stressors Scale: NICU (PSS: NICU) determined sources of stress among parents. NICU nurses completed an adapted version of the PSS: NICU that measured nursing staffs‟ perceptions of parental NICU stress. Parents also completed the Life Events Scale on upsetting life events from the previous 12 months. An external stressors scale which measured stress relating to finances, transport and childcare was developed and completed by parents and staff. Familial demographic and infant clinical information was collected from birth records and hospital databases. Results showed across both cohorts studied that mothers reported significantly higher levels of NICU stress than fathers on the “sights and sounds”, “infant appearance”, and “loss of parental role” subscales on the PSS: NICU (p < .05). The number of upsetting life events (B = .33, p = .01)) and paternal level of NICU stress predicted maternal NICU stress (B = .23, p = .03). Maternal NICU stress also predicted paternal NICU stress (B = .37, p = .01). Staff consistently overestimated parental stress levels (p < .05). The most stressful item on the external stressors scale reported by parents and staff was “fitting in everything else I have to do”. Findings emphasize the need for increased awareness of NICU-specific and NICU-external factors contributing to parental stress. Research into the extent to which staff perceptions of parent experiences may affect the quality of staff-parent relations in the NICU is also warranted. These findings contribute to our understanding of the parental experience of having a preterm infant in the NICU and implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the predictive power of some demographic variables and ways of coping, social support and perceived stress level in predicting burnout and posttraumatic growth levels of parents who have a child with autism. Data was collected by administering a socio-demographic form and four self-report questionnaires. These were the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress Short Form (QRS), Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Ways of Coping Inventory (WCI), and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). 136 adults representing 58 parent couples and 13 mothers and 7 fathers, with 71 mothers and 65 fathers who had a child with autism participated in this study. Data was collected in &Ouml / zel ilgi Special Education School, BariS Special Education School, Ankara University Center of Research for Children with Autism (O&Ccedil / EM), Bagcilar School for Children with Autism and Hacettepe University Child Psychiatry Clinic. The factor analysis of the MBI yielded two of the three factors of the original factor structure. The depersonalization factor was not found in this sample. It was found that, mothers were experiencing significantly higher emotional exhaustion than the fathers. The regression analysis results revealed that social support and problem solving/optimistic coping were significant predictors of posttraumatic growth among mothers. Social support, problem solving/optimistic coping, religiosity, age, years of marriage were the significant predictors of posttraumatic growth among fathers. Stress level was the only significant predictor of burnout and emotional exhaustion among mothers. Stress level was a significant predictor of both burnout and emotional exhaustion among fathers, but helplessness/self blaming approach was also a significant predictor of paternal burnout. Social support, problem solving/optimistic approach, and stress level were significant predictors of lack of personal accomplishment among mothers. Presence of a caregiver and helplessness/self blaming approach were the significant predictors of lack of personal accomplishment among fathers. The importance of the results for clinical interventions with parents and their shortcomings were discussed within the relevant literature.

A síndrome do x-frágil (SXF) é a principal causa de deficiência mental herdada, sendo suplantada apenas pela síndrome de Down (SD). Alguns estudos sugerem que ela afeta 1 a cada 4000 homens e 1 a cada 6000 mulheres (Turner, Web, Wake & Robinson, 1996) e com incidência de pré-mutação em torno de 1 para cada 200 cromossomos X (Watson, 2005). A alta prevalência estatística torna claro que a SXF é uma das doenças genéticas mais comuns em seres humanos, mas ainda não corretamente diagnosticada. Caracteriza-se por ser hereditária, sendo a mulher a principal transmissora. Indivíduos com a SXF apresentam um conjunto de características físicas, clínicas, comportamentais e cognitivas, que podem causar um impacto no sistema familiar e, em especial, nas figuras parentais. Este estudo investiga o estresse e o autoconceito em pais e mães de meninos com a SXF, SD e desenvolvimento típico (DT), baseado no modelo biopsicossocial de Bradford (1997). A amostra total foi composta por pais e mães biológicos de meninos com a SXF (n=30), SD (n=30) e DT (n=30). As hipóteses são que pais e mães dos grupos SXF e SD apresentam níveis mais elevados de estresse do que os do grupo DT; que as mães do grupo SXF apresentam maior nível de estresse e maior prejuízo em seu autoconceito do que os pais desse mesmo grupo, tendo em conta o fato de serem as transmissoras; e que as mães do grupo SXF apresentam um autoconceito negativo se comparado às mães dos grupos SD e DT. Os resultados não revelaram diferença significativa na variável estresse, apesar de haver uma clara tendência das mães dos grupos SXF e SD em apresentar níveis mais altos de estresse. A presença de suporte encontrado (apoio e orientação) pode ter contribuído para a ausência de um estresse mais exacerbado. Os resultados também revelaram uma diferença significativa no autoconceito (self pessoal) entre as mães de crianças com a SXF e as mães de crianças com desenvolvimento típico, sugerindo que o fator da transmissão pode estar implicado no prejuízo no autoconceito. / The Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the main cause of hereditary mental retardation, being lower only by Down Syndrome (DS). Some studies suggest that it affects 1 in 4000 males and 1 in 6000 females (Turner, Web, Wake & Robinson 1996) and the pre-mutation incidence is around of the 1 in 200 X chromosomes (Watson, 2005). The high statistical prevalence make it clear that FXS is one of the most common genetic diseases in humans, but it is not yet correctly diagnosed. It is characterized by hereditary and the woman is the principal transmitter. People with the FXS have a cluster of physical, clinical, behavioral and mental characteristics. These impairments are likely to have an impact in the family, especially in the parents. This study investigates the stress and the self-concept in mothers and fathers of boys with FXS, DS and typical development (TD), based on the Bradford’s biopsicosocial model (1997). The total sample was comprised of biological mothers and fathers (married couple) of boys with FXS (n=30), DS (n=30) and TD (n=30). The hypothesis are that the SXF and DS parents show more stress than TD’s parents; the mothers of FXS show more stress and difficult in their self-concept than fathers, taking into account that mothers are the obligate carrier; and the FXS’s mothers have a negative self-concept when compared to DS and TD’s mothers. Although the results didn’t show significant differences in the stress variable, there was a clear tendency of mothers of FXS and DS in showing more stress than fathers and than TD’s parents. The occurrence of social support may have contributed to the absence of significant differences. The results also reveal a significant difference in the self-concept (self pessoal) between the mothers of FXS and of TD’children, suggesting that the transmission factor can play a part in the self-concept impairment.

A síndrome do x-frágil (SXF) é a principal causa de deficiência mental herdada, sendo suplantada apenas pela síndrome de Down (SD). Alguns estudos sugerem que ela afeta 1 a cada 4000 homens e 1 a cada 6000 mulheres (Turner, Web, Wake & Robinson, 1996) e com incidência de pré-mutação em torno de 1 para cada 200 cromossomos X (Watson, 2005). A alta prevalência estatística torna claro que a SXF é uma das doenças genéticas mais comuns em seres humanos, mas ainda não corretamente diagnosticada. Caracteriza-se por ser hereditária, sendo a mulher a principal transmissora. Indivíduos com a SXF apresentam um conjunto de características físicas, clínicas, comportamentais e cognitivas, que podem causar um impacto no sistema familiar e, em especial, nas figuras parentais. Este estudo investiga o estresse e o autoconceito em pais e mães de meninos com a SXF, SD e desenvolvimento típico (DT), baseado no modelo biopsicossocial de Bradford (1997). A amostra total foi composta por pais e mães biológicos de meninos com a SXF (n=30), SD (n=30) e DT (n=30). As hipóteses são que pais e mães dos grupos SXF e SD apresentam níveis mais elevados de estresse do que os do grupo DT; que as mães do grupo SXF apresentam maior nível de estresse e maior prejuízo em seu autoconceito do que os pais desse mesmo grupo, tendo em conta o fato de serem as transmissoras; e que as mães do grupo SXF apresentam um autoconceito negativo se comparado às mães dos grupos SD e DT. Os resultados não revelaram diferença significativa na variável estresse, apesar de haver uma clara tendência das mães dos grupos SXF e SD em apresentar níveis mais altos de estresse. A presença de suporte encontrado (apoio e orientação) pode ter contribuído para a ausência de um estresse mais exacerbado. Os resultados também revelaram uma diferença significativa no autoconceito (self pessoal) entre as mães de crianças com a SXF e as mães de crianças com desenvolvimento típico, sugerindo que o fator da transmissão pode estar implicado no prejuízo no autoconceito. / The Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the main cause of hereditary mental retardation, being lower only by Down Syndrome (DS). Some studies suggest that it affects 1 in 4000 males and 1 in 6000 females (Turner, Web, Wake & Robinson 1996) and the pre-mutation incidence is around of the 1 in 200 X chromosomes (Watson, 2005). The high statistical prevalence make it clear that FXS is one of the most common genetic diseases in humans, but it is not yet correctly diagnosed. It is characterized by hereditary and the woman is the principal transmitter. People with the FXS have a cluster of physical, clinical, behavioral and mental characteristics. These impairments are likely to have an impact in the family, especially in the parents. This study investigates the stress and the self-concept in mothers and fathers of boys with FXS, DS and typical development (TD), based on the Bradford’s biopsicosocial model (1997). The total sample was comprised of biological mothers and fathers (married couple) of boys with FXS (n=30), DS (n=30) and TD (n=30). The hypothesis are that the SXF and DS parents show more stress than TD’s parents; the mothers of FXS show more stress and difficult in their self-concept than fathers, taking into account that mothers are the obligate carrier; and the FXS’s mothers have a negative self-concept when compared to DS and TD’s mothers. Although the results didn’t show significant differences in the stress variable, there was a clear tendency of mothers of FXS and DS in showing more stress than fathers and than TD’s parents. The occurrence of social support may have contributed to the absence of significant differences. The results also reveal a significant difference in the self-concept (self pessoal) between the mothers of FXS and of TD’children, suggesting that the transmission factor can play a part in the self-concept impairment.

A síndrome do x-frágil (SXF) é a principal causa de deficiência mental herdada, sendo suplantada apenas pela síndrome de Down (SD). Alguns estudos sugerem que ela afeta 1 a cada 4000 homens e 1 a cada 6000 mulheres (Turner, Web, Wake & Robinson, 1996) e com incidência de pré-mutação em torno de 1 para cada 200 cromossomos X (Watson, 2005). A alta prevalência estatística torna claro que a SXF é uma das doenças genéticas mais comuns em seres humanos, mas ainda não corretamente diagnosticada. Caracteriza-se por ser hereditária, sendo a mulher a principal transmissora. Indivíduos com a SXF apresentam um conjunto de características físicas, clínicas, comportamentais e cognitivas, que podem causar um impacto no sistema familiar e, em especial, nas figuras parentais. Este estudo investiga o estresse e o autoconceito em pais e mães de meninos com a SXF, SD e desenvolvimento típico (DT), baseado no modelo biopsicossocial de Bradford (1997). A amostra total foi composta por pais e mães biológicos de meninos com a SXF (n=30), SD (n=30) e DT (n=30). As hipóteses são que pais e mães dos grupos SXF e SD apresentam níveis mais elevados de estresse do que os do grupo DT; que as mães do grupo SXF apresentam maior nível de estresse e maior prejuízo em seu autoconceito do que os pais desse mesmo grupo, tendo em conta o fato de serem as transmissoras; e que as mães do grupo SXF apresentam um autoconceito negativo se comparado às mães dos grupos SD e DT. Os resultados não revelaram diferença significativa na variável estresse, apesar de haver uma clara tendência das mães dos grupos SXF e SD em apresentar níveis mais altos de estresse. A presença de suporte encontrado (apoio e orientação) pode ter contribuído para a ausência de um estresse mais exacerbado. Os resultados também revelaram uma diferença significativa no autoconceito (self pessoal) entre as mães de crianças com a SXF e as mães de crianças com desenvolvimento típico, sugerindo que o fator da transmissão pode estar implicado no prejuízo no autoconceito. / The Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the main cause of hereditary mental retardation, being lower only by Down Syndrome (DS). Some studies suggest that it affects 1 in 4000 males and 1 in 6000 females (Turner, Web, Wake & Robinson 1996) and the pre-mutation incidence is around of the 1 in 200 X chromosomes (Watson, 2005). The high statistical prevalence make it clear that FXS is one of the most common genetic diseases in humans, but it is not yet correctly diagnosed. It is characterized by hereditary and the woman is the principal transmitter. People with the FXS have a cluster of physical, clinical, behavioral and mental characteristics. These impairments are likely to have an impact in the family, especially in the parents. This study investigates the stress and the self-concept in mothers and fathers of boys with FXS, DS and typical development (TD), based on the Bradford’s biopsicosocial model (1997). The total sample was comprised of biological mothers and fathers (married couple) of boys with FXS (n=30), DS (n=30) and TD (n=30). The hypothesis are that the SXF and DS parents show more stress than TD’s parents; the mothers of FXS show more stress and difficult in their self-concept than fathers, taking into account that mothers are the obligate carrier; and the FXS’s mothers have a negative self-concept when compared to DS and TD’s mothers. Although the results didn’t show significant differences in the stress variable, there was a clear tendency of mothers of FXS and DS in showing more stress than fathers and than TD’s parents. The occurrence of social support may have contributed to the absence of significant differences. The results also reveal a significant difference in the self-concept (self pessoal) between the mothers of FXS and of TD’children, suggesting that the transmission factor can play a part in the self-concept impairment.

Parenting children with neurodevelopmental deficits (NDDs) is very stressful, more so than the parenting of typically developing children. There is considerable research on the topic of chronic stress experienced by caregivers; however, less is understood of parental stress experienced when raising children with NDDs. The purpose of this study was to examine how parental traits and habits, in the forms of mindfulness and social support levels, affect this cohort's general stress levels. The study was guided by Self-Determination Theory, which explored how parental acts could be classified along a continuum of being intrinsically or extrinsically derived. A convenience sample of parents (n =71) with a child diagnosed with at least one NDD were recruited from online support groups on Facebook. The participants fully completed the Parental Stress Scale to measure parental stress, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale to measure trait mindfulness, and the Family Support Scale to quantify social support to the family. Correlation analysis and multilinear regression analysis were used to determine that higher levels of social support and mindfulness in the participants predicted lower levels of perceived parental stress; the model was statistically significant, R²=.284, F(2,68)=13.504.p<.001. As a set, the two predictors accounted for 28.4% of the variation in stress. This study helps to promote positive social change by providing informing data on population-specific research, which can assist in the development of empirically supported treatments that could be used by professionals and paraprofessionals in treatment planning, therapies, and psychoeducational interventions.

Le torticolis postural est une affection courante dans le milieu pédiatrique en particulier depuis que les parents ont adopté les lignes directrices de la campagne « Back to Sleep ». Habituellement, un programme d’exercices à domicile est présenté aux parents afin de promouvoir une récupération optimale toutefois, peu d’outils existent pour les accompagner dans la réalisation de ces exercices. L'objectif de cette étude était d'évaluer l'impact de l'addition du nouveau livret d’intervention pour le torticolis (LIT) sur la résolution du torticolis (restitution de l’amplitude passive du cou), le stress parental et la satisfaction à l’égard du traitement reçu et sur l'observance des parents au traitement à domicile. Cinquante-huit nourrissons référés en physiothérapie pour un torticolis postural ont été recrutés et randomisés au cours de leur première visite à l’un ou l’autre de ces 2 groupes: Physiothérapie + LIT (n = 29) ou Physiothérapie + traitement standard (n = 29). Des évaluateurs ont évalué à l’aveugle les patients 1 et 3 mois après leur visite initiale, 30 minutes avant leur consultation en physiothérapie. L’amplitude articulaire passive du cou en rotation était mesurée à l’aide d’un goniomètre arthrodial. Le niveau de stress parental a été évalué en utilisant l’Indice de Stress Parental (ISP). Les parents ont reçu l’ISP à la fin de la visite initiale et ont été invités à le compléter à la maison et le retourner à la visite suivante en physiothérapie ou à la visite de 1 mois. La satisfaction des parents à l’égard du traitement reçu a été évaluée en utilisant la Mesure du Processus de Soins (MPOC-56) à 3 mois. L'observance au traitement a été estimée en demandant aux parents de rapporter la durée quotidienne de positionnement des nourrissons sur le ventre pendant la semaine dernière à l’évaluation. L’analyse de nos données consista à d’abord décrire les performances des 2 groupes à l’aide de statistiques descriptives. Ensuite, des tests de t ont permis de comparer le changement à la rotation passive cervicale, entre la visite de 1 mois et la visite initiale ainsi qu’entre la visite de 3 mois et la visite initiale. Des tests de t ont aussi été calculés pour comparer les scores de chaque sous-échelle du ISP (stress parental) et du MPOC-56 (satisfaction des soins) entre les groupes. Le test du chi carré a été réalisé pour comparer l'adhérence entre les deux groupes à 1 et 3-mois. Les résultats ont montré une tendance à un plus grand changement de la rotation passive du cou à 1-mois dans le groupe LIT (Intervalle de Confiance à 95% = 95% IC= 1,97-8,77 ; p = 0, 17) mais pas à 3 mois. Les parents du groupe LIT ont obtenu des scores de stress plus faibles après avoir reçu l'outil d'intervention (95%IC= 49,20-57,94 ; p = 0, 01) et ont déclaré être plus satisfaits que les parents du groupe témoin pour le traitement reçu (95%IC= 6,7-6,8 ; p=0,03) e o partenariat avec les thérapeutes (95%IC= 6,3-6,9 ; p<0,001). Enfin, l'observance au traitement a été plus élevée dans le groupe LIT que dans le groupe contrôle en particulier à 3-mois (p = 0.01). Le nouveau livret d'intervention pour le torticolis accompagné d'un traitement de physiothérapie a tendance à contribuer à une restitution plus rapide de l’amplitude passive du cou en rotation, peut aider à diminuer le niveau de stress parental, contribuer à une plus grande satisfaction à l’égard du traitement et améliorer l’observance au traitement à domicile. / Postural Torticollis is a common condition in pediatric practices especially since parents have adopted “Back to Sleep” campaign’s guidelines. Parents are often instructed to carry out a home program of exercises; however there are few educational tools with comprehensive information about postural torticollis exercises. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the addition of the new Torticollis Intervention Booklet (TIB) on torticollis resolution (attainment of full passive neck range of motion), parental stress level, parental satisfaction and adherence to treatment received. Fifty-eight infants referred to physiotherapy for a postural torticollis were recruited and randomized during their initial visit to two groups: Physiotherapy + TIB (n=29) or Physiotherapy + Standard Care (n=29). Blinded evaluators assessed the patients at 1 and 3 months after their initial visit, thirty minutes before their physiotherapy consultation. Passive neck rotation range of motion (ROM) was measured by an arthrodial goniometer. Parental stress level was evaluated using the Parenting Stress Index- Short Form (PSI-SF). Parents received the PSI-SF at the end of the baseline visit and were requested to complete it at home and return it at their subsequent physical therapy appointment or at the second scheduled study assessment time. Parental satisfaction was evaluated using the Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC-56) at 3-months. Adherence to treatment was evaluated as the length of time per day parents reported having their children in the prone awake position in the week before follow-up visits. Analysis consisted of descriptive analyses for each group; t-tests to compare passive neck rotation ROM change scores between the baseline and 1-month visits and baseline and 3-month visits; and to compare subscale scores for PSI-SF (parental stress) and MPOC-56 (satisfaction with care) between the two groups. The Chi-square test was performed to compare adherence between the two groups at 1 and 3-months. The results showed a tendency to greater passive neck rotation (ROM) change at 1-month in the TIB group (95% Confidence Interval = 95%CI = 1.97- 8.77; p=0.17) but not at 3-months. Parents in the the TIB group showed lower global stress scores after receiving the intervention tool (95%CI= 49.20- 57.94; p = 0.01) and reported greater satisfaction than controls in the “coordinated and comprehensive care” (95%CI= 6.7-6.8; p=0.03) and « enabling and partnership » subscales (95%CI= 6.3-6.9; p<0.001). Finally, adherence was higher in the TIB group than controls especially at 3-months (p=0.01). The new Torticollis Intervention Booklet accompanied by physical therapy treatment has a tendency to lead to an earlier restitution of passive neck rotation ROM, may help decrease stress levels, increase satisfaction with treatment, and improve adherence.

Parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are often reported as experiencing more stress than parents of normal children. The bulk of this research has been conducted primarily on a Caucasian population, however, providing little information regarding multicultural aspects of parenting stress. Research has also been lacking in attention given to the stress related to parenting a child with internalizing disorders. The purpose of this study was 1) to compare parenting stress reported by mothers of children with ADHD to parenting stress reported by mothers of children with depressive disorders, and 2) to compare parenting stress as reported by Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic mothers. Results indicated that mothers of ADHD children experienced more parenting stress related only to their children's hyperactive and distracting behaviors. Contrary to previous research, Caucasian mothers reported significantly more overall and parent-related parenting stress than African American mothers.

Selon la théorie de l’auto-détermination, l’autonomie est un besoin universel de base qui, lorsque soutenu, permet aux individus de mieux fonctionner et de vivre plus de bien-être psychologique (p. ex., Deci & Ryan, 2008). Le style parental des parents qui soutiennent l’autonomie de leur enfant est caractérisé par le soutien du fonctionnement autodéterminé de ce dernier. Sa définition traditionnelle inclut des pratiques telles qu’offrir des explications et des choix lors des requêtes, communiquer de l’empathie, et encourager les prises d’initiatives tout en minimisant l’utilisation d’un langage contrôlant (p. ex., Soenens et al., 2007). Les bénéfices d’un style parental qui soutient l’autonomie d’un enfant ont été bien documentés (p. ex., Grolnick, Deci, & Ryan, 1997), toutefois, peu d’études ont été effectuées auprès des bambins. Or, cette thèse visait à enrichir la littérature sur le « parentage » en explorant les pratiques soutenantes qui sont utilisées par des parents de bambins dans un contexte de socialisation (étude 1), ainsi qu’en examinant les facteurs qui peuvent brimer leur mise en pratique (étude 2). La première étude a examiné un grand nombre de pratiques de socialisation que les parents qui favorisent davantage le soutien à l’autonomie (SA) pourraient utiliser plus fréquemment lorsqu’ils font des demandes à leurs bambins. Cette étude nous a permis d’explorer comment les parents manifestent leur SA et si le SA dans ce type de contexte est associé à un plus grand niveau d’internalisation des règles. Des parents (N = 182) de bambins (M âge = 27.08 mois) ont donc été invités à rapporter la fréquence avec laquelle ils utilisent 26 pratiques potentiellement soutenantes lorsqu’ils demandent à leurs bambins de compléter des tâches importantes mais non intéressantes et de rapporter à quel point ils valorisent le SA. Huit pratiques ont été identifiées comme étant soutenantes: quatre façons de communiquer de l’empathie, donner des explications courtes, expliquer pourquoi la tâche est importante, décrire le problème de façon informative et neutre, et mettre en pratique le comportement désiré soi-même. De plus, l’ensemble des huit pratiques corrélait positivement avec le niveau d’internalisation des bambins, suggérant aussi que celles-ci représentent bien le concept du SA. Des études futures pourraient tenter de répliquer ces résultats dans des contextes potentiellement plus chargés ou ébranlants (p. ex., réagir face à des méfaits, avec des enfants souffrant de retard de développement). La deuxième étude a poursuivi l’exploration du concept du SA parental en examinant les facteurs qui influencent la fréquence d’utilisation des stratégies soutenantes dans des contextes de socialisation. Puisque la littérature suggère que le stress parental et le tempérament difficile des bambins (c.-à-d., plus haut niveau d’affectivité négative, plus faible niveau de contrôle volontaire/autorégulation, plus faible niveau de surgency) comme étant des facteurs de risque potentiels, nous avons exploré de quelle façon ces variables étaient associées à la fréquence d’utilisation des stratégies soutenantes. Les buts de l’étude étaient: (1) d’examiner comment le tempérament des bambins et le stress parental influençaient le SA parental, et (2) de vérifier si le stress parental médiait la relation possible entre le tempérament des bambins et le SA parental. Le même échantillon de parents a été utilisé. Les parents ont été invités à répondre à des questions portant sur le tempérament de leur enfant ainsi que sur leur niveau de stress. Les résultats ont démontré qu’un plus grand niveau d’affectivité négative était associé à un plus grand niveau de stress parental, qui à son tour prédisait moins de SA parental. De plus, le stress parental médiait la relation positive entre l’autorégulation du bambin et le SA parental. Des recherches futures pourraient évaluer des interventions ayant pour but d’aider les parents à préserver leur attitude soutenante durant des contextes de socialisation plus difficiles malgré certaines caractéristiques tempéramentales exigeantes des bambins, en plus du stress qu’ils pourraient vivre au quotidien. / According to self-determination theory, psychological autonomy is a basic, universal need that, when supported, enables individuals to function more positively and experience greater psychological well-being (e.g., Deci & Ryan, 2008). Parenting that supports the autonomy of a child is classically defined as the parental support for their self-determined functioning and includes practices such as providing rationales and choices for requests, communicating empathy, and encouraging initiatives while using non-controlling language (e.g., Soenens et al., 2007). The benefits of autonomy-supportive parenting have been well-documented (e.g., Grolnick, Deci, & Ryan, 1997) however, few studies to date have been conducted with toddlers. The present thesis thus sought to enrich the parenting literature by exploring what autonomy-supportive parenting practices are used by parents of toddlers in a socialization context (Study 1) and by examining the factors that may hinder their use (Study 2). The first study examined a wide range of socialization practices that parents who favoured AS to a greater extent may use more frequently when making requests to their toddlers. The study allowed us to explore how parents manifest AS towards their toddlers and whether AS in this context is associated with greater rule internalization. Parents (N = 182) of toddlers (M age = 27.08 months) were thus asked to report the frequency at which they used 26 potentially autonomy-supportive practices when asking their toddlers to complete important yet uninteresting activities and the extent to which they valued AS. Eight practices were identified as being autonomy-supportive: four forms of communicating empathy, providing short rationales, explaining why the task is important, giving an informational and neutral description of the problem, and modeling the desired behaviour. The set of eight practices was positively associated with toddlers’ level of internalization, further suggesting that they embodied the concept of AS. Future studies may seek to replicate these findings in more potentially volatile or distressing contexts (e.g., reacting to misdeeds, with children with developmental delays). The second study extended the results further by examining what factors influenced the use of parental AS in socialization contexts. Since the literature points to parental stress and toddler difficult temperament (i.e., higher levels of negative affectivity, lower levels of effortful control, and lower levels of surgency) as possible risk factors, we explored how they related to the frequency of use of autonomy-supportive practices. The goals of the study were: (1) to examine how toddlers’ temperament and parental stress influenced parental AS, and (2) to verify if parental stress played a mediating role in the putative relationship between toddlers’ temperament and parental AS. Using the same sample, parents were asked to answer questions regarding their toddler’s temperament and their own stress levels. The results showed that greater child negative affectivity was associated with greater parental stress, which in turn predicted lower parental AS. Moreover, parental stress partially mediated the positive relationship between child effortful control and parental AS. Future research could investigate possible interventions that aim to help parents preserve their autonomy-supportive stance during challenging socialization contexts, in the face of exacting child temperamental characteristics, and in addition to the stress brought on by daily life.