Impact of stress and mitigating information on evaluations, attributions, affect, disciplinary choices, and expectations of compliance in mothers at high and low risk for child physical abuse.

Full Abstract

The objective is to know if high-risk mothers for child physical abuse differ in their evaluations, attributions, negative affect, disciplinary choices for children's behavior, and expectations of compliance. The effect of a stressor and the introduction of mitigating information are analyzed. Forty-seven high-risk and 48 matched low-risk mothers participated in the study. Mothers' information processing and disciplinary choices were examined using six vignettes depicting a child engaging in different transgressions. A four-factor design with repeated measures on the last two factors was used. High-risk mothers reported more hostile intent, global and internal attributions, more use of power assertion discipline, and less induction. A risk group by child transgression interaction and a risk group by mitigating information interaction were found. Results support the social information-processing model of child physical abuse, which suggests that high-risk mothers process child-related information differently and use more power assertive and less inductive disciplinary techniques.

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Author information

Author/s: De Paúl, Joaquín (J); Asla, Nagore (N); Pérez-Albéniz, Alicia (A); de Cádiz, Bárbara Torres-Gómez (BT);

Affiliation: University of the Basque Country, Spain.

Journal and publication information

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

Journal: Journal of interpersonal violence (J Interpers Violence), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Aug; vol 21 (issue 8) : pp 1018-45

Dates: Created 2006/07/10; Completed 2007/02/20;

PMID: 16829665, 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.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Child
Child Abuse - psychology
Child Rearing - psychology
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Male

Male
Mother-Child Relations
Mothers - psychology
Personality Inventory
Punishment - psychology
Questionnaires
Risk Assessment
Spain

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