AbstractsPsychology

Cases of physical and emotional child abuse and neglect are not uncommon and raise questions about why parents are compelled to use violence and negative disciplining techniques to solve family conflict. This study focuses on the possible factors that are involved in the process that leads parents to refrain from using sensitive parenting techniques and instead fall back to negative parenting. The Social Information Model (SIP model) by Milner is used as a basis in explaining the possible moderating and mediating relationships between the variables parental attributions, chaos and negative discipline. In this study 48 mothers with children between the ages of 2 to 5 years old participated. Variables were measured by means of various questionnaires and a computer task to measure parental attributions. Results show that there are significant relationships between chaos and negative (overreactive) discipline and negative parental attributions and negative (overreactive) discipline. There was no mediating role found for parental attributions in the relationship between chaos and negative discipline. There was also no moderating role found for the relationship in the relationship between negative parental attributions and negative overreactive discipline. This study attempted to assess possible moderating and mediating effects that could explain why some parents use negative disciplining when confronted with challenging child behaviors, compared to others. Since negative (overreactive) disciplining is often seen as a predictor for child abuse in general, these results are of great importance in preventing and intervening in cases of (suspected) child abuse. Prevention and intervention programs should focus on the role of negative parental attributions and chaos within the home to help troubled families. Further research is needed to investigate other possible moderating and mediating variables that possibly explain why some parents use negative (overreactive) discipline.