M. Spiro et L. Swartz, MOTHERS REPORTS OF BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN 3 GROUPS OF SOUTH-AFRICAN PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN - PREVALENCE, PERCEPTIONS, AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 25(3), 1994, pp. 339-352
Sixty mothers of preschool children from African, Malay, and White gro
ups in Cape ToWn, South Africa, were interviewed about the presentatio
n, understanding, and management of behaviour problems. Overall sympto
m prevalence was similar across groups' results coincided with interna
tional findings. Differences were related in the main to material circ
umstances. Certain problems viewed as signifying disorder by White mot
hers-such as rocking and thumb sucking-were seen as part of a normal d
evelopmental process by African mothers. Some of the problems inherent
in South African transcultural psychiatry are discussed.