Comparing maltreating fathers and mothers in terms of personal distress, interpersonal functioning, and perceptions of family climate.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
This study compared perceptions of personal distress, interpersonal and marital problems, and aspects of family climate of maltreating fathers and mothers.

METHODS:
Subjects were 2841 offenders (1918 of whom were fathers or father-figures) who were identified and treated by the USAF Family Advocacy Program between 1988 and 1996. Independent variables for the analysis were parent sex (mother vs. father) as well as type and severity of maltreatment, history of repeat offenses, and history of abuse in childhood.

RESULTS:
Maltreating mothers were more distressed and reported more problems from individuals outside the family than maltreating fathers; fathers reported more rigid expectations for children, less cohesive families, and less organized families than did maltreating mothers. Regardless of parental sex, victimization in the family of origin was related to distress and unhappiness. Similarly, both victimization in the family of origin and history of repeated offenses were powerful predictors of a more negative family climate regardless of the offending parent's sex. No significant statistical interactions between parental sex and other independent variables were found when predicting personal and interpersonal distress, marital problems, or family climate.

CONCLUSIONS:
Studies rarely examine maltreating fathers except in the context of sexual abuse. Fewer still compare maltreating mothers and fathers. This study identified meaningful, though generally small, differences between maltreating mothers and fathers. Patterns suggest that maltreating mothers may tend to cope more poorly with personal distress, whereas maltreating fathers tend to operate in a family climate that is both distant and rigid, while holding inappropriate expectations for children's behavior. The absence of interactions between parental sex and the other independent variables included in the analysis indicate that these patterns do not vary by the history of victimization in the family of origin, the type or severity of child maltreatment, or the history of prior maltreatment in the family.

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Author information

Author/s: Pittman, Joe F (JF); Buckley, Rhonda R (RR);

Affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 203 Spidle Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Child abuse & neglect (Child Abuse Negl), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-May; vol 30 (issue 5) : pp 481-96

Dates: Created 2006/05/24; Completed 2006/11/14; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 16698080, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Child Abuse Negl. 2006 May;30(5):461-5. (PMID: 16707159)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Child
Child Abuse
Family Relations
Fathers - psychology

Female
Humans
Male
Mothers - psychology
Stress, Psychological

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