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Maternal reactions to problem behaviors and ordinal position of child.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Abram, RS; Coie, JD
Published in: Journal of personality
December 1981

Mothers' reactions to problem behavior patterns were contrasted in a sample of mothers of first-born and later-born boys. Mothers of 8- and 14-year-old boys were presented with six hypothetical cases. Mothers of first-born boys described themselves as more likely to seek outside professional help for problems than did mothers of later-born boys. Similar results held true for those stories that mothers reported as descriptive of their own sons in recent weeks. Interestingly, no difference in the reported prevalence of such problems was found between the two birth order groups. These findings hold true for moderate severity problems, but not for severe problems. Mothers of first-born boys were more inclined to attribute the cause of problems to parent factors, while mothers of later-borns tended to focus more on the sons' skill deficits. The findings are interpreted in terms of the differential parenting experiences of the two groups and suggest an explanation for the greater incidence of clinic referral among first-borns compared to later-borns.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Journal of personality

EISSN

1467-6494

ISSN

0022-3506

Publication Date

December 1981

Volume

49

Issue

4

Start / End Page

450 / 467

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Psychology
  • Psychophysiologic Disorders
  • Mothers
  • Mother-Child Relations
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Child Behavior Disorders
  • Child
  • Birth Order
 

Citation

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Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Abram, R. S., & Coie, J. D. (1981). Maternal reactions to problem behaviors and ordinal position of child. Journal of Personality, 49(4), 450–467.
Abram, R. S., and J. D. Coie. “Maternal reactions to problem behaviors and ordinal position of child.Journal of Personality 49, no. 4 (December 1981): 450–67.
Abram RS, Coie JD. Maternal reactions to problem behaviors and ordinal position of child. Journal of personality. 1981 Dec;49(4):450–67.
Abram, R. S., and J. D. Coie. “Maternal reactions to problem behaviors and ordinal position of child.Journal of Personality, vol. 49, no. 4, Dec. 1981, pp. 450–67.
Abram RS, Coie JD. Maternal reactions to problem behaviors and ordinal position of child. Journal of personality. 1981 Dec;49(4):450–467.
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of personality

EISSN

1467-6494

ISSN

0022-3506

Publication Date

December 1981

Volume

49

Issue

4

Start / End Page

450 / 467

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Psychology
  • Psychophysiologic Disorders
  • Mothers
  • Mother-Child Relations
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Child Behavior Disorders
  • Child
  • Birth Order