Mothers' and fathers' perceptions of child deviance: Roles of parent and child behaviors and parent adjustment.

Abstract

The mothers (n = 120) and fathers (n = 85) of children with conduct problems (ages = 3-8 years) completed two measures of child adjustment (Child Behavior Checklist, Eybeig Child Behavior Inventory), three personal adjustment measures (Beck Depression Inventory, Marital Adjustment Test, Parenting Stress Index), and a Life Experience Survey and were observed at home interacting with their children. In addition, teachers (n = 107) completed the Behar Preschool Questionnaire. Fathers' perceptions of their children's behaviors were significantly correlated with teachers' ratings, but mothers' ratings were not. Correlations showed that mothers who were depressed or stressed due to marital problems perceived more child deviant behaviors and interacted with their children with more commands and criticisms. Fathers' perceptions and behaviors were relatively unaffected by personal adjustment measures. Differences in these perceptions and behaviors between mothers and fathers are discussed. Before young children with behavior problems can receive treatment, they must be identified by at least one of their parents as having severe enough problems to warrant professional attention. However, a number of researchers (Christensen, Phillips, Glascow, & Johnson, 1983; Forehand, Wells, McMahon, Griest, & Rogers, 1982; Rickard, Forehand, Wells, Griest, & McMahon, 1981) have cautioned clinicians against overreliance on mothers' perceptions of their children's deviant behaviors and have suggested that mothers may inaccurately label their children as deviant due to their own personal adjustment problems, including depression, anxiety, and marital dissatisfaction. Moreover, observational research has suggested that the mothers of clinic-referred children who are distressed either due to depression or marital dissatisfaction may exhibit more commands and may be more negative or hostile in their interactions with their children than nondistressed mothers (Forehand, Lautenschlager, Faust, & Graziano, 1986; Patterson, 1980). Research has also suggested that the clinic-referred children of distressed mothers are much less deviant than the clinicreferred children of nondistressed mothers (Rickard et al.,

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