The Importance of Parental Attributions in Families of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Johnston, Charlotte; Ohan, Jeneva L.

doi:10.1007/s10567-005-6663-6

Cited by 110 publications

(123 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…We examine parents' attributions for the behaviors of children with ADHD and their beliefs about the causes of and treatments for the disorder. The importance of parents' attributions is supported by previous studies, in both ADHD and nonproblem samples, showing that negative attributions for child behaviors are associated with more power assertive and less positive disciplinary strategies [14,15], parenting behaviors which in turn are related to the development of behavior problems in children [16]. We also examine parents' beliefs about the causes of and treatments for ADHD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Mothers’ and Fathers’ Attributions and Beliefs in Families of Girls and Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Chen

Seipp

Johnston

2007

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

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This study examined parent and child gender effects on parents' attributions and beliefs in regards to child symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants included mothers and fathers of 19 girls and 17 boys with ADHD. Groups of boys and girls, aged 5-13 years, were equated on age and medication status, as well as ADHD symptom severity. These groups also were similar in the severity of comorbid oppositional behaviors and internalizing problems, as well as a variety of demographic characteristics. Parents' attributions for child behavior were assessed in response to written scenarios describing either hyperactive/impulsive or inattentive symptoms of ADHD. Parents also completed a questionnaire assessing beliefs and knowledge about ADHD. There were no child gender effects for parents' attributions or beliefs. All parents attributed inattentive symptoms to more internal, global and stable causes than impulsive symptoms. Mothers attributed both inattentive and impulsive child symptoms to more global and stable causes than did fathers. Fathers, but not mothers, reported more negative reactions to ADHD symptoms that were perceived as having an internal cause. Finally, mothers scored higher on beliefs in behavior management than did fathers, and fathers believed more in psychological causes and treatments for ADHD. Possible explanations for and implications of these results are explored.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Mothers’ and Fathers’ Attributions and Beliefs in Families of Girls and Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Chen

Seipp

Johnston

2007

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

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“…Alternatively, hostile/ineffective parenting may be a proxy for negative parental attributions of the child, with subsequent reporting of higher rates of problem behaviours. 63 Parental attributions may be influenced by cultural values 64 that were not measured in our study. Given the model did not fully predict aggression, it is clear that responsibility for the development of aggression in children cannot be attributed solely to parenting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Immediate and Sustained Effects of Parenting on Physical Aggression in Canadian Children Aged 6 Years and Younger

2009

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Objective: To determine whether the effects of factors associated with the development of childhood (aged 6 years or younger) physical aggression were immediate (cross-sectional), sustained (longitudinal), or both. Methods:A longitudinal subsample (n = 975) of children born between December 1994 and April 1995 was drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth and followed from birth to 6 years of age. Using random-and fixed-effects logistic panel regression models, child (sex and preterm birth), maternal (education, employment, and positive or hostile/ineffective parenting), and family (lone-parent, older and younger siblings, and income) indicators were regressed on childhood physical aggression.Results: Hostile/ineffective parenting contributed significantly to explaining the variance in aggression. At each measurement time point (birth, 2, 4, and 6 years of age), a change in hostile/ineffective parenting had an effect on aggression, and this effect carried forward across time up to 6 years. Being a boy, having a mother with less education, and living in a lone-parent family with siblings also contributed significantly to aggression. Preterm birth, maternal employment, depressive symptoms, positive interaction, and income failed to contribute significantly to aggression. Conclusions:These results support the hypothesis that hostile/ineffective parenting has an immediate effect on aggression. Contrary to predictions that it would have an immediate effect only at the time it was occurring, hostile/ineffective parenting had a sustained effect on aggression that carried forward in time up to 6 years of age. The results suggest that hostile/ineffective parenting has an effect on aggression prior to any evidence of aggressive behaviour in the child.Can J Psychiatry. 2008;54(1):55-64.Clinical Implications · Parenting interventions need to begin early in a child's development and continue at least until school age to have the greatest impact on the prevention of aggression. · Boys who live in lone-parent families with multiple siblings and mothers with low education may benefit the most from interventions to prevent aggression. · Repeated screening for physical aggression in young children may be useful to predict those who will continue on a trajectory of physical violence into adolescence.Limitations · Single informant (mother) reporting is not equivalent to direct observation of the child. · Random-and fixed-effects models do not explain the mechanisms leading to aggression. · Standardizing scores adjusts for qualitative differences in measures of development, but is not a perfect solution.

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“…Specifically, we included teacher attributions for aggressive student behavior in our model. Research indicates that, when parents view child misbehavior as caused by internal or stable factors, they respond with more negative affect and harsher discipline (see Johnston and Ohan 2005, for a review). We expected similar relations to emerge for teachers.…”

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Teacher Cognition and Behavior in Children’s Peer Relations

McAuliffe

Hubbard

Romano

2009

J Abnorm Child Psychol

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This study explored the role of the classroom teacher in peers' evaluations of liking and disliking of their classmates. Teacher cognitions about children (teacher liking of students, teacher attributions for aggressive student behavior) and teacher behavior toward children (positive, corrective/negative) were examined as mediators in the link between children's own behavior (aggression, prosocial behavior) and peer liking and disliking. Participants were 127 second-graders in 12 classrooms (64 males, 63 females). Data on child behavior were collected through peer and teacher report, data on teacher cognitions about children were collected through self report, data on teacher behavior toward children were collected through naturalistic classroom observations, and data on peer liking and disliking were collected through peer nominations. Data were analyzed using path analysis. Results indicated that teacher cognitions about children and corrective/negative teacher behavior toward children mediated the relations between aggressive and prosocial child behavior and peer disliking.

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The Importance of Parental Attributions in Families of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Cited by 110 publications

References 82 publications

Mothers’ and Fathers’ Attributions and Beliefs in Families of Girls and Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Mothers’ and Fathers’ Attributions and Beliefs in Families of Girls and Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Immediate and Sustained Effects of Parenting on Physical Aggression in Canadian Children Aged 6 Years and Younger

The Role of Teacher Cognition and Behavior in Children’s Peer Relations

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