Raising children in Iceland today
Sigurbjörg Anna Þorleifsdóttir, a Master’s student at the Faculty of Psychology, is currently working on her thesis, which explores various parenting behaviors and their impact on children’s behavior in Iceland. This research, supervised by Dr. Hilal Sen, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Psychology, aims to fill a gap in Icelandic parenting studies.
“When I spoke with Dr. Sen, we realized that there were very few studies on this topic in Iceland, and reliable tools to assess parenting methods were scarce. This inspired us to conduct research that could help us understand how different parenting approaches affect children’s behavior in the Icelandic context,” explains Sigurbjörg.
Dr. Sen, who has previously collaborated with Dr. Craig H. Hart of Brigham Young University—an expert in parenting research—adds: "Parenting plays a crucial role in shaping children’s lives, but we know little about the specific behaviors used in Iceland. By examining parenting behaviors and trends across the country, we aim to better understand child development and whether regional differences, such as urban vs. rural areas, exist."
Hilal’s previous experience includes participating in an international study comparing parenting in the U.S. and Türkiye. She and Sigurbjörg received valuable guidance from Dr. Hart as they prepared for their research, which will explore key aspects of parenting like warmth, control, and their effects on children’s development.
"We hope our findings will not only offer useful insights for parents, educators, and policymakers but also contribute to the broader field of developmental psychology. Additionally, we aim to develop better tools to measure parenting in Iceland," Dr. Sen saysData will be collected through a web-based questionnaire. Participants will answer demographic and parenting-related questions. It's crucial to gather responses from guardians across the country to ensure a representative sample. The goal is to collect enough data that can be the foundation for a study of parenting behaviours in Iceland and it is extremely important to get the answer from guardians from all over the country.
Are you willing to help us reach people? We would appreciate it if you shared the survey. Our goal is to reach Icelandic speaking guardians to ensure sampling. Please share on social media, with friends or the people around you.
Hér er hlekkur til að deila: https://tinyurl.com/bdhzw988
