Perception of behaviours associated with tactile defensiveness: an exploration of the differences between mothers and their children

✍ Scribed by Susan Dawn Hotz; Charlotte Brasic Royeen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 72 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0966-7903
• DOI: 10.1002/oti.82

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to determine whether there is a statistically significant correlation between mothers' and children's perceptions of tactile defensiveness. This investigation replicated a similar study by Bennett and Peterson (1995). The Touch Inventory for Elementary School Aged Children (TIE) was administered to 27 boys and girls, aged 8 to 11, who were selected using purposive sampling. A modified version of the TIE was given to their mothers. Results indicated that there was a statistically significant correlation (r=0.417, p=0.03) between a child's own perception of tactile defensiveness and the child's mother's perception of the child's tactile defensiveness. In general, however, the children in this study rated their perception of their own tactile defensiveness 6.5 points higher than their mothers did. The results from the current investigation are similar to those of Bennett and Peterson (1995). The children in their study rated their perception of their own tactile defensiveness 10 points higher than their mothers did. Reviewed together, these results suggest that mothers may systematically underestimate the degree of tactile defensiveness in their children, and that it is important to use information from both children and their mothers to learn more about the child's tactile defensiveness. Continued research into this area is recommended. Copyright © 1998 Whurr Publishers Ltd.