Patterns of attitudes toward child rearing and the family.

24 scales of the Parental Attitude Research Instrument were administered to 100 student nurses. A centroid factor analysis of the scales revealed 5 relatively independent factors: suppression and interpersonal distance, hostile rejection of the homemaking role, excessive demand for striving, over-possessiveness, and hostile punitive control. Similarity of these factors to behavior and attitudes of parents of emotionally disturbed children and to factors isolated from the Fels Parent Behavior Scales was noted. This measuring instrument may permit prediction of different patterns of mother-child interaction. 19 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The accuracy of parental recall of aspects of child development and of child rearing practices.

Retrospective accounts of child rearing obtained from parents of 3-year-olds were compared with reports they previously gave in the course of a longitudinal study begun with the birth of the child. The parents were quite inaccurate in their memory of details about child rearing practices and early development progress, in spite of the frequent rehearsal of these data due to their participation in the longitudinal study, and in spite of the relatively young age of the children. In-accuracies were greatest for items dealing with the age of weaning and toilet training, the occurrence of thumbsucking, and demand feeding. Inaccuracies tended to be in the direction of the recommendations of experts in child rearing, especially on the part of the mothers. In general, mothers recalled more correctly than fathers. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Possessiveness as a characteristic of mothers of schizophrenics.

Possessiveness in mothers of schizophrenics was compared with wives and other female relatives of schizophrenics, and mothers and wives of patients with nonorganic disorders. The results indicated that there was no difference in the quality of possessiveness between the groups studied, rejecting the notion that this is a significant factor in the psychogenesis of schizophrenics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toddlers' self-regulated compliance to mothers, caregivers, and fathers: Implications for theories of socialization.

To compare children's socialized behavior to parents and non-parental agents, this study examined self-regulated compliance to mothers and caregivers--an early form of internalization--in 90 toddlers, half of whom were also observed with fathers. Adults were observed in play, teaching, and discipline sessions with the child and were interviewed on child-rearing philosophies. Child cognition and emotion regulation were assessed, and naturalistic observations were conducted at child-care locations. Mean-level and rank-order stability were found in child compliance to the 3 adults. Child emotion regulation and adult warm control in a discipline situation were related to self-regulated compliance to the mother, caregiver, and father. Compliance to parents correlated with parental sensitivity and philosophies, and compliance to the caregiver correlated with child cognition and social involvement when child-care quality was controlled. Maternal sensitivity and warm control discipline predicted compliance to the caregiver but not vice versa. Results are consistent with theoretical positions on the generalization of socialization from the mother to non-maternal agents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instruction by mothers and fathers during problem solving with their young children.

Mothers and fathers of 163 5-year-olds were observed interacting with their children in dyads on 2 separate occasions on a familiar and unfamiliar cognitive activity. Within- and between-family comparisons were conducted. Few differences in the instruction provided by mothers and fathers appeared, and those that did were on the unfamiliar task. On this task, instruction by mothers, within and across families, was more responsive to children's changing skill than was instruction by fathers. Directive and disapproving comments by parents were related to poorer posttest performance by the child. High level of instruction by both parents was related to better posttest performance than was low level of instruction by parents. Contributions of parents to their children's cognitive development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perception of maternal child-rearing attitudes by schizophrenic males, their normal male siblings, and normal males whose siblings are normal.

This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that a group of normal male siblings of schizophrenics (N-Sc) will agree with a group of male schizophrenic siblings (Sc-N) in their perception of their mothers' child-rearing attitudes and will perceive these attitudes as being more deviant (undesirable) than a group of normal males whose siblings are all normal (N-N). Perception was measured on a child-study questionnaire which Ss were instructed to answer as they thought their mothers would have when Ss were growing up. The results were that the normal siblings of schizophrenics perceive their mothers' attitudes as being more martyred and subtly dominating than do normal siblings of normals (p = .05). There were no other significant differences, although the trend was toward perception of maternal attitudes as least deviant by the N-N group, most deviant by the N-Sc group, and in-between by the Sc-N group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contrasting patterns of fantasy and motility in Irish and Italian schizophrenics.

Several hypotheses concerning differences in fantasy and motor activity of schizophrenics of Irish and Italian descent were developed on the basis of anthropological evaluation of cultural patterns and child-rearing practices. Schizophrenics of Irish descent were expected to be more given to imaginative behavior and motor control when compared with those of Italian descent. Psychological instruments used were the Rorschach, Barron's Movement-Threshold Inkblots, TAT, Porteus Mazes, tests of time estimation, motor inhibition, admission-denial of frustration, and ward behavior ratings. 60 male, veteran patients were used as Ss, one-half of Irish and one-half of Italian descent. The results appeared to support the hypothesis of persistent differences in motor and fantasy activity. Implications for review of psychiatric nosology, personality research, and interdisciplinary collaboration were suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child Personality and Parental Behavior as Moderators of Problem Behavior: Variable- and Person-Centered Approaches.

Parenting × Child Personality interactions in predicting child externalizing and internalizing behavior were investigated in a variable-centered study and a person-centered study. The variable-centered study used data from a 3-year longitudinal study of 600 children 7 to 15 years old at Time 1 and 512 children 10 to 18 years old at Time 2. Parents rated child personality (five factor model), negative control, positive parenting, and child problem behavior, whereas children rated parental behavior. Hierarchical moderated regression analyses showed significant Parenting × Child Personality (benevolence and conscientiousness) interactions, principally for externalizing behavior. The interactions were largely replicable across informants and across time. The person-centered study, which classified participants into 3 types, showed that negative parental control was more related to externalizing behavior for undercontrollers than for resilients. Negative parental control enhanced internalizing behavior for overcontrollers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paired-associate learning by schizophrenic and normal subjects under conditions of personal and impersonal reward and punishment.

This is a report of 2 dissertations done to cross-validate the findings that, contrary to normals, the performance of schizophrenics on various tasks improves under conditions of punishment rather than reward. In addition, these studies tested the effect of personal vs. impersonal conditions of reinforcement. Ss were patients with acute as well as more chronic periods of illness. The results indicate that regardless of whether the reinforcement was administered mechanically (impersonally) or by another individual (personally), the performance of the schizophrenic group again showed improvement under conditions of punishment rather than rewards. The results are related to a theory of the etiology of schizophrenia and to the treatment of schizophrenics. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4JQ22A. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The attitudes of West Texas College students toward school integration.

Attitudes were assessed by means of the California F Scale and Integration Attitude scale in an attempt to determine the relation of school integration attitudes, authoritarianism, and school classification. "… it may be concluded that there is a generally positive attitude toward integration… thus easing the widely expressed fear… when integration comes." Discrepancy was obtained between student and parental attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rote learning in schizophrenic and normal subjects under positive and negative reinforcement conditions.

The defects on rote learning performance of adding positive or negative verbal reinforcers to the information provided by presentation of the correct response was studied in normals and in remitted and nonremitted schizophrenics. On a verbal discrimination task, the reinforcers facilitated the performance of all groups (p     

Parent and Child Psychological Factors in Pediatric Syncope and Other Somatic Symptoms.

The authors examined associations among parental and child adjustment, child syncope, somatic, and school problems. Participants were children (N = 56) ages 7-18 years with syncope. Measures included syncope severity, parental distress, and children's internalizing symptoms. For children diagnosed negative for neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS), their fathers' and their own psychological symptoms were positively associated with the severity of syncope, whereas their mothers' functioning was negatively associated with the severity of syncope. Also, for the negative NCS group, fathers' psychological functioning was associated with children's nonsyncope somatic complaints but not with their school problems. For the positive NCS group, few significant father-child associations were found, but several significant positive associations were revealed between mothers' psychological symptoms and their children's syncope as well as somatic and school problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child effects on communication between parents of youth with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Numerous studies indicate interparental conflict causes child externalizing behavior. However, far less is known about the inverse relationship. Exploring this gap in the literature has clear implications for parents of children with externalizing disorders (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]). Adapting an experimental child behavior manipulation paradigm (Lang, Pelham, Atkeson, & Murphy, 1999; Pelham et al., 1997, 1998), parent couples of 9- to 12-year-old boys and girls with ADHD (n = 51) and without ADHD (n = 39) were randomly assigned to interact with a “disruptive” or “typical” confederate child. According to parent and observer ratings, parents interacting with disruptive confederates communicated less positively and more negatively with each other during and after the interactions than did parents who interacted with typical confederates. Observational coding also indicated that child effects on negative interparental communication were more noticeable among parents of youth with ADHD, particularly those with comorbid oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, compared with parents of youth without ADHD. These findings extend results of prospective studies highlighting child effects on marital quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental health service utilization among African American and Caucasian mothers and fathers.

Mental health services have been routinely underutilized. This study investigated the influence of parents' gender, race, and psychopathology on perceived barriers and attitudes toward mental health utilization for themselves and for their children. A unique contribution of this study is the examination of father, mother, and child factors influencing service utilization from the parents' perspective. A total of 194 African American and Caucasian parents were recruited from the community to participate. Parents completed measures on barriers and attitudes toward treatment for themselves and for their children, history of mental health service utilization for themselves and for their children, and their own current psychological symptoms. Results indicated that 36.3% and 19.4% of parents and children, respectively, had used mental health services during their lifetime. Parents perceived fewer barriers and had more positive attitudes toward seeking services for their children than for themselves. Race and gender differences were found in parents' perceptions of barriers and attitudes toward treatment. Furthermore, barriers, attitudes, and psychopathology predicted parents' plans for future utilization of mental health services. The clinical implications of this study and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reaction time in schizophrenic and normal subjects in relation to the sequence of series of regular preparatory intervals.

Earlier research (Huston et al, 1937) emphasized the inability of schizophrenic Ss, in comparison to normals, to maintain a given set over an extended period of time; this, again, was the focus of the present investigation. Reaction times in 7 schizophrenic and 11 nonschizophrenic Ss were reviewed in the context of situations which required varying amounts of preresponse times. The results confirm the unfavorable effect on the performance of schizophrenic Ss in situations requiring prolonged maintenance of a response set. Results are related to a psychophysical interpretation of schizophrenia. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4JQ61Z. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritarian parenting in individualist and collectivist groups: Associations with maternal emotion and cognition and children's self-esteem.

Mothers and children between the ages of 7 and 12, from individualist (Western European) and collectivist (Egyptian, Iranian, Indian, and Pakistani) backgrounds, completed assessments of children's self-esteem, maternal authoritarianism, and mothers' thoughts and feelings about their children. Collectivist mothers endorsed authoritarian parenting more than did individualist mothers but did not feel or think more negatively about their children, and collectivist children were not lower in self-esteem. Within both groups, maternal negative affect and cognition were associated with lower self-esteem in children. However, maternal authoritarianism was associated with maternal negative emotion and cognition only in the individualist group. The results suggest that maternal negative thoughts and feelings, associated with authoritarianism in individualist but not collectivist groups, may be more detrimental to children's self-esteem than is authoritarianism in and of itself. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social-seeking and novelty-seeking behavior as a function of differential rearing histories.

Rats were handled daily from birth until weaning or were nonhandled controls. At weaning Ss were reared with littermates or in isolation. At 90 days some of the socially reared Ss were placed into isolation. Total N = 44 males, 1 from each of 44 different litters. At 100 days S was placed for 10 min. into the stem of a T shaped unit. S could remain where it was, enter a social chamber, or enter a novel chamber. Time in each chamber, activity, and defecation were recorded for 4 successive days. Handled Ss were significantly more active, and spent significantly more time in the social and novel chambers than nonhandled controls. Ss reared in a social environment until testing spent significantly less time in the novel chamber than Ss undergoing long-term or short-term social isolation. The handling variable was found to interact significantly with postweaning rearing and test days. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of schizophrenics and normals toward success and failure.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that schizophrenics, as compared with normals, are relatively more highly motivated to avoid failure than to achieve success. A total of 291 Ss, including 136 hospitalized male schizophrenics, 103 normals, and--as a contrast group--52 neurotics, were administered the Success-Failure Inventory (SFI), a 22-item True-False instrument designed to assess attitudes toward success attainment and failure avoidance. As predicted, the schizophrenic samples manifested greater relative failure avoidance than the normals. Further, active schizophrenics evidenced greater relative failure avoidance than did remitted schizophrenics. Remitted schizophrenics and neurotics were not significantly different. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting knowledge: Experiential and sociodemographic factors in European American mothers of young children.

Knowledge of child rearing and child development is relevant to parenting and the well-being of children. Using a sociodemographically heterogeneous sample of 268 European American mothers of 2-year-olds, we assessed the state of mothers' parenting knowledge; compared parenting knowledge in groups of mothers who varied in terms of parenthood and social status; and identified principal sources of mothers' parenting knowledge in terms of social factors, parenting supports, and formal classes. On the whole, European American mothers demonstrated fair but less than complete basic parenting knowledge; age, education, and rated helpfulness of written materials each uniquely contributed to mothers' knowledge. Adult mothers scored higher than adolescent mothers, and mothers improved in their knowledge of parenting from their first to their second child (and were stable across time). No differences were found between mothers of girls and boys, mothers who varied in employment status, or birth and adoptive mothers. The implications of variation in parenting knowledge and its sources for parenting education and clinical interactions with parents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)