Multimethod prediction of physical parent–child aggression risk in expectant mothers and fathers with Social Information Processing theory

Abstract

The Social Information Processing (SIP) model postulates that parents undergo a series of stages in implementing physical discipline that can escalate into physical child abuse. The current study utilized a multimethod approach to investigate whether SIP factors can predict risk of parent-child aggression (PCA) in a diverse sample of expectant mothers and fathers. SIP factors of PCA attitudes, negative child attributions, reactivity, and empathy were considered as potential predictors of PCA risk; additionally, analyses considered whether personal history of PCA predicted participants’ own PCA risk through its influence on their attitudes and attributions. Findings indicate that, for both mothers and fathers, history influenced attitudes but not attributions in predicting PCA risk, and attitudes and attributions predicted PCA risk; empathy and reactivity predicted negative child attributions for expectant mothers, but only reactivity significantly predicted attributions for expectant fathers. Path models for expectant mothers and fathers were remarkably similar. Overall, the findings provide support for major aspects of the SIP model. Continued work is needed in studying the progression of these factors across time for both mothers and fathers as well as the inclusion of other relevant ecological factors to the SIP model.

Parent–Child Aggression Risk in Expectant Mothers and Fathers: A Multimethod Theoretical Approach

“…However, low couple satisfaction and low social support may be more problematic for mothers’, rather than fathers’, PCA risk (Schaeffer et al 2005; Price-Wolff 2015). Others have reported that higher abuse risk fathers report less empathic perspective-taking ability—a finding not mirrored in mothers (Perez-Albeniz and De Paul 2004)–whereas empathy was less apparent as a risk factor in a model of PCA risk in fathers (Rodriguez et al 2016). Nonetheless, relatively few direct comparisons of comprehensive abuse risk models have been performed between mothers and fathers.…”

“…Fathers are implicated in approximately half of those engaging in physical maltreatment (Sedlak et al 2010). Current evidence implies fathers demonstrate comparable risk profiles to mothers, with modest differences (e.g., Rodriguez et al 2016; Schaeffer et al 2005; Smith Slep and O’Leary 2007). However, low couple satisfaction and low social support may be more problematic for mothers’, rather than fathers’, PCA risk (Schaeffer et al 2005; Price-Wolff 2015).…”

“…Child abuse potential is associated with abusive discipline tactics (Rodriguez 2010b) as well as harsh and authoritarian parenting (Haskett et al 1995; Margolin et al 2003; Rodriguez et al 2016). To prevent child abuse before it occurs, identifying factors predicting child abuse potential is essential.…”

“…Several SIP elements were assessed separately in relation to mothers’ PCA risk, but the model was not considered as a whole (Montes et al 2001). Studies confirm a subset of SIP processes in PCA risk, particularly with mothers (e.g., McElroy and Rodriguez 2008; Rodriguez 2010b; Rodriguez and Richardson 2007), although some work has begun to apply SIP to fathers’ risk (Rodriguez et al 2016). A number of studies provide evidence for individual schemas in PCA risk that drove the development of SIP theory as applied to PCA (Milner 2000).…”

“…The SIP model proposes preexisting schemas affect each stage collectively to then predict PCA, but the current investigation proposes specific pathways. Based on patterns observed in earlier work (Rodriguez et al 2016), empathy, as an affectively themed preexisting schema, was hypothesized to relate in a specific pathway of subsequent SIP processes. Low empathy was expected to relate to compromised parents’ attention processes, wherein parents overreact, leading them to not attend to the discipline situation adequately or accurately (Stage 1).…”