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Maternal Negative Affect and Perceptions of “Problem Children” in the Family

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Abstract

This study investigates whether depressive tendencies or anger/hostility is associated with an increased propensity for a mother to target a particular child in the family as the “problem child.” The 180 participants were drawn from a larger cohort of urban, low-income mothers and young children. Maternal data were gathered from measures of self-reported and observed maternal emotionality. Sibling unfavored status was assessed by maternal verbal comparison of siblings. Results were consistent in showing that neither maternal depressive nor hostile affect is, by itself, predictive of a tendency to single out one child as a “troublemaker.” The significance of these results for causal models about differential parental treatment is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Broadhurst Science Center, University of Pittsburgh at Titusville, 504 East Main Street, Titusville, PA, 16354, USA

    Erica Altomare PhD

  2. University of Pittsburgh, USA

    Joan I. Vondra PhD & Elaine Rubinstein PhD

Authors
  1. Erica Altomare PhD
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  2. Joan I. Vondra PhD
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  3. Elaine Rubinstein PhD
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Correspondence to Erica Altomare PhD.

Additional information

Funding for this investigation was provided by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Buhl Foundation, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, and the Child Guidance Foundation of Pittsburgh, and by the Office of Child Development, Department of Psychology in Education, Department of Psychology, and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh.

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Altomare, E., Vondra, J.I. & Rubinstein, E. Maternal Negative Affect and Perceptions of “Problem Children” in the Family. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 35, 203–225 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-004-6458-x

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