Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 14, 2025
Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Mothers' and Fathers' Perspectives on the Causes of Their Child's Disorder
Anna Felnhofer1,2, Theresa Bussek3, Andreas Goreis3,4
1Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna.
Insights
Parents perceive causes of psychosomatic disorders differently than neurodevelopmental disorders, with fathers showing a stronger attribution to medical and environmental stressors for psychosomatic conditions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
- Medical Sociology
Background:
- Parental beliefs on illness causation influence child health outcomes and treatment decisions.
- Research on parental attributions for child illness etiology is limited, especially for mixed comorbidities and fathers.
- Few studies compare causal beliefs across different disorder categories (physical vs. mental).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in mothers' and fathers' perceptions of their child's illness etiology.
- To compare parental causal beliefs for neurodevelopmental disorders versus psychosomatic disorders in children.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 42 parent couples (84 parents) with children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity-Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or a psychosomatic disorder with comorbid mental illness.
- Utilized a modified Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) Cause scale to assess perceived causes of illness.
- Employed a two-way ANOVA to analyze parent and illness category effects.
Main Results:
- Psychosomatic disorders were more strongly attributed to medical and environmental stressors than neurodevelopmental disorders.
- A significant interaction between parent gender and illness category was observed.
- Fathers showed a more pronounced attribution of psychosomatic disorders to medical and environmental stressors compared to mothers.
Conclusions:
- This study offers initial insights into parental beliefs regarding the etiology of neurodevelopmental and psychosomatic disorders in children.
- Findings highlight potential differences in causal attributions between mothers and fathers.
- Results can inform future research and the development of tailored counseling strategies for families facing pediatric illnesses.
Background:
Parental beliefs about the cause of their child's illness are thought to affect parents' help-seeking behaviors, treatment decisions, and the child's health outcomes. Yet, research on parental beliefs about disease causation is still scarce. While a small number of studies assesses parental cause attributions for singular disorders (e.g., neurodevelopmental disorders), no study has compared disorders with differing physical versus mental conditions or with mixed comorbidities in children and adolescents or their caregivers. Furthermore, most pediatric research suffers from a lack of data on fathers.
Objective:
Hence, the objective of the current study was to test for possible differences in mothers' and fathers' perceptions about the etiology of their child's illness.
Methods:
Forty-two parent couples (overall N = 84) whose child had been diagnosed either with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity-Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (category "neurodevelopmental disorder") or with a primary physical illness and a comorbid mental disorder, e.g. depression (category "psychosomatic disorder") were asked to rate possible causes of their child's illness using a modified version of the revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) Cause scale.
Results:
A two-way ANOVA showed that psychosomatic disorders were significantly more strongly attributed to be caused by medical and environmental stressors than neurodevelopmental disorders. A significant parent × illness category interaction revealed that this effect was more pronounced in fathers.
Conclusions:
By providing first insights into parental beliefs about the etiology of their children's neurodevelopmental versus psychosomatic disorders, this study paves ground for future research and tailored counseling of affected families.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorder
Biological approach
The biological approach posits that internal, organic factors are the primary causes of such disorders. This perspective emphasizes brain structure and function, genetic predispositions, and neurotransmitter imbalances. For example, schizophrenia has been associated with both genetic...
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
01:27Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
01:28Conduct Disorder