A comparative study of parents of emotionally disturbed and normal children

Parents of fifty children attending a child guidance clinic (clinic parents) were studied and compared with the parents of non-referred children matched on relevant parameters (control parents). The clinic parents differed significantly from the control parents on certain variables: presence of psychiatric morbidity in clinic mothers, disciplinary techniques used, attitude towards their own children and the marital relationship. There were no significant differences between the parents of the two groups in their attitudes towards their own parents. Alcoholism and sociopathy were not common among clinic fathers.