NCJ Number
240810
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2012 Pages: 510-518
Date Published
June 2012
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined the amount of congruency between mothers' and fathers' self-reports of aggressive behavior towards their children.
Abstract
Highlights of the study's findings include the following: neither mothers nor fathers over-reported the other parent's use of discipline, and in some cases, both fathers and mothers self-reported engaging more frequently in the use of discipline than the other parent reported they did; mothers were more reliable in reporting on fathers' behavior than vice versa; and parents with low levels of conflict in their relationships and those with children who exhibited more easy going temperaments were more likely to consistently report their own and their spouses level of discipline usage compared to parents with higher levels of conflict or children who were considered difficult to care for. This study examined the amount of congruency between mothers' and fathers' self-reports of aggressive behavior towards their children. Data for the study were obtained from a sample of children and their parents who participated in the Child Development Project, a longitudinal study of children beginning when they were in kindergarten. The parents completed the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale which obtains information on the parents' own behavior towards their child and the parents' assessment of their partner's behavior towards the child. The self-report questionnaires were used to determine whether the parents' use of aggression were consistent with their partners' reports of their use of aggression. The findings from the study indicate that parents are more consistent in their reports of parent to child violence than has been shown in studies of intimate partner violence. Study limitations and implications for policy are discussed. Tables and references