C White1, C Barrowclough. 1. Department of Child Psychology, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Pendlebury, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study examines the spontaneous causal attributions made by mothers about their preschool children's problem behaviour and investigates the relationship between causal attributions and maternal depression. DESIGN: Two groups of mothers were compared, a depressed and a non-depressed group, while all women included identified their preschool child as having some problem behaviours. There were 25 women in each group. METHODS: The spontaneous attributions of mothers were assessed from audiotaped interviews using an adaptation of the Leeds Attributional Coding System for the extraction and analysis of attributional statements. RESULTS: Depressed mothers made more spontaneous causal attributions about their children's problem behaviour than did the non-depressed group; and the depressed group perceived these causes as being more stable, more controllable and more personal to the child than their non-depressed counterparts. There was also evidence that depressed mothers made more internal attributions about themselves as the cause of their children's problem behaviour than non-depressed mothers. The study indicates that the personal-to-child dimension is the attributional variable most strongly associated with depression. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that depressed mothers have attributional biases when compared to non-depressed mothers. The authors suggest that their attributions may mediate coping responses and hence may influence parenting behaviour. The clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed.
OBJECTIVES: This study examines the spontaneous causal attributions made by mothers about their preschool children's problem behaviour and investigates the relationship between causal attributions and maternal depression. DESIGN: Two groups of mothers were compared, a depressed and a non-depressed group, while all women included identified their preschool child as having some problem behaviours. There were 25 women in each group. METHODS: The spontaneous attributions of mothers were assessed from audiotaped interviews using an adaptation of the Leeds Attributional Coding System for the extraction and analysis of attributional statements. RESULTS: Depressed mothers made more spontaneous causal attributions about their children's problem behaviour than did the non-depressed group; and the depressed group perceived these causes as being more stable, more controllable and more personal to the child than their non-depressed counterparts. There was also evidence that depressed mothers made more internal attributions about themselves as the cause of their children's problem behaviour than non-depressed mothers. The study indicates that the personal-to-child dimension is the attributional variable most strongly associated with depression. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that depressed mothers have attributional biases when compared to non-depressed mothers. The authors suggest that their attributions may mediate coping responses and hence may influence parenting behaviour. The clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed.