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Maternal and paternal attributions in the prediction of boys’ behavior problems across time Williamson, David Kenneth; Johnston, Charlotte

Abstract

Objective: Examine the extent to which mother and father attributions for child behavior problems predict child behavior problems over time, accounting for the other parent's attributions, initial child problems and the child’s ADHD status. Method: Parents of 7 to 12 year old boys with (n = 26) and without (n =38) ADHD participated. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a measure of their son's behavior problems as well as the Written Analogue Questionnaire (WAQ), reporting their attributions for child behavior problems. Parents completed the SDQ a second time 7 months later. Results: Both mother and father attributions were associated with child behavior problems at Time 1 and again 7 months later. However, when ADHD status and the other parent's attributions for child behavior were controlled, only father attributions predicted child behavior problems, and continued to be uniquely predictive of child behavior problems at Time 2 even with initial child behavior problems controlled. Conclusion: Father attributions provide unique information above and beyond mother attributions when considering current and future child behavior problems.

Item Metadata

Title
Maternal and paternal attributions in the prediction of boys’ behavior problems across time
Alternate Title
Paternal attributions and boys' behavior across time
Creator
Williamson, David Kenneth; Johnston, Charlotte
Date Issued
2015
Description
Objective: Examine the extent to which mother and father attributions for child behavior problems predict child behavior problems over time, accounting for the other parent's attributions, initial child problems and the child’s ADHD status. Method: Parents of 7 to 12 year old boys with (n = 26) and without (n =38) ADHD participated. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a measure of their son's behavior problems as well as the Written Analogue Questionnaire (WAQ), reporting their attributions for child behavior problems. Parents completed the SDQ a second time 7 months later. Results: Both mother and father attributions were associated with child behavior problems at Time 1 and again 7 months later. However, when ADHD status and the other parent's attributions for child behavior were controlled, only father attributions predicted child behavior problems, and continued to be uniquely predictive of child behavior problems at Time 2 even with initial child behavior problems controlled. Conclusion: Father attributions provide unique information above and beyond mother attributions when considering current and future child behavior problems.
Subject
Parental attributions; mother; father; child behavior problems; ADHD
Genre
Article; Postprint
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2016-02-12
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada
DOI
10.14288/1.0224124
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/56987
Affiliation
Arts, Faculty of; Psychology, Department of
Citation
Williamson, D., & Johnston, C. (2015). Maternal and paternal attributions in the prediction of boys' behavior problems across time. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 44, 668-675.
Publisher DOI
10.1080/15374416.2013.862803
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Copyright Holder
Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada