Mother-Child Interactions Involving a Child with Epilepsy: A Comparison of Immigrant and Native-Born Mexican Americans

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Abstract
This study examined the mother-child interactions of immigrant and native-born Mexican American mothers with a child with epilepsy. Children with asthma and children in good physical health were also included as controls. Mother-child pairs engaged in a structured beanbag toss game which was videotaped and analyzed by a bilingual coder unaware of the medical backgrounds of the children. In contrast to mothers with a child with asthma or in good health, mothers with a child with epilepsy used fewer verbal directions and fewer positive responses. In addition, mothers with a child with epilepsy used more nonverbal directions, more commands, and more physical guidance. Children with epilepsy also failed more often on the structured beanbag toss game than children with asthma and children in good health. Finally, native-born mothers with a child with epilepsy exhibited less positive feedback and more negative feedback than their immigrant counterparts with a similar child. However, acculturation qualifies some of the present findings.

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