A Study on Maternal Attribution and Parenting Behaviors

아동, 가족 및 모의 특성에 따른 어머니의 귀인성향과 양육행동

This study examined the role of maternal attribution in Parenting behaviors. Using an attributional model, it assessed whether maternal attributions about children's knowledge, capacity, expectation, and responsibility for behavior problems have effects on maternal behaviors of affect and authoritarian control. The sample consisted of 297 mothers who have first-and forth-grade children. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that matemal attribution about children’s knowledge for misconduct had positive influence on maternal affect and negative influence on authoritarian control behaviors, and that maternal attribution of expectation negatively influenced the behaviors of authoritarian control. In addition, such background factors as child age, gender, family income, family type, maternal education, and self-esteem were significant predictors for maternal attributions. In regard of mothering behaviors, child age, maternal age, and self-esteem were related to maternal affect, while family type and maternal self-esteem were related to authoritarian control. The findings suggest the importance of matemal attributions in parenting for better child development.