Abstract
Three samples of francophone subjects from Quebec (Canada) are used to establish the prevalence of parent-child RTP according to different personal, social and family variables, and to verify if children who engage in more RTP with their father exhibit less physical aggression towards other children and are more competitive without resorting to aggression. Our results showed that 24 to 43% of fathers engaged in RTP with their children on a daily basis, and only 4 to 16% of fathers never do. Moreover, personal characteristics such as the age and sex of the participants seemed to have a greater influence on the frequency of parent-child RTP than variables related for example to work, socio-economic conditions, or the living environment. The hypothesis that children who engage in more RTP with their fathers display less physical aggression towards their peers is invalidated here. We have concluded that it is important that not only RTP frequency, but also and especially indicators of RTP quality be used. Future observational studies of father-child RTP are required in order to do so. Finally, certain preliminary results support the hypothesis that father-child RTP fosters the development of the competition skills in children without using aggression.
Résumé
Trois échantillons de sujets francophones du Québec (Canada) ont été utilisés afin d’établir la prévalence des jeux de bataille parent-enfant en fonction de différentes variables personnelles et socio-familiales, et de vérifier si les enfants qui font davantage de ces jeux avec leur père font moins d’agressions physiques envers les autres enfants et s’ils sont plus compétitifs sans utiliser l’agression. Nos résultats ont montré que 24 à 43% des pères font quotidiennement des jeux de bataille avec leurs enfants, et que seulement 4 à 16% des pères ne l’ont jamais fait. De plus, la fréquence des jeux de bataille parent-enfant semble être influencée davantage par les caractéristiques personnelles comme l’âge et le sexe des participants que par des variables reliées par exemple au travail, aux conditions socio-économiques, et au milieu de vie. L’hypothèse voulant que les enfants faisant plus de jeux de bataille père-enfant font moins d’agressions physiques envers les pairs est ici infirmée. Nous avons conclu qu’il est important d’utiliser, non pas seulement la fréquence des jeux, mais aussi et surtout des indices de leur qualité. Pour cela, il est essentiel dans l’avenir d’entreprendre des études observationnelles des jeux de bataille père-enfant. Finalement, certains résultats préliminaires soutiennent l’hypothèse que ces jeux permettent le développement chez les enfants d’habilités de compétition sans avoir besoin d’utiliser l’agression.
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Paquette, D., Carbonneau, R., Dubeau, D. et al. Prevalence of father-child rough-and-tumble play and physical aggression in preschool children. Eur J Psychol Educ 18, 171–189 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173483
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173483