Attributions, affect, and behavior in abuse-risk mothers: a laboratory study

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Parenting Studies

Background:

• Parental attributions, or beliefs about the causes of child behavior, are crucial in understanding parent-child interactions.
• Discrepancies in attributions may exist between parents at risk for child abuse and those without such risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare parental attributions for child behavior in mothers at risk for child abuse versus non-clinic mothers.
• To examine the predictive relationship between parental attributions and affective/behavioral responses to child behavior.

Main Methods:

• Compared internal-external attributions for child behavior in 40 mothers at-risk for abuse and 20 non-clinic mothers.
• Used videotaped child behavior excerpts (own child and unfamiliar child) to assess mothers' attributions.

Main Results:

• Abuse-risk mothers attributed positive child behavior externally and negative behavior internally more than non-clinic mothers.
• Parental attributions predicted coercive parenting, particularly for ambiguous or unfamiliar behaviors, mediated by affect and valence ratings.

Conclusions:

• Parental attributions vary by behavior valence and familiarity, distinguishing abuse-risk parents.
• Attributions predict parental reactions to child behavior, especially when the behavior is ambiguous or unfamiliar.
• Videotaped child behavior is a valid method for assessing parental attributions.