This proposal requests support (three years) to test a process model that explains and predicts the development and maintenance of aggressive mother-son interactions. The significance of examining the relations between attributions and aggressive behavior is that coercive mother-child interactions place children, especially boys, at risk for exhibiting antisocial behavior in other contexts, even into adolescence and adulthood.
The specific aims of this study are (1) to examine the relations between mothers' and children's attributions and the coerciveness of their interactions; (2) to chronicle stability and change (increase or decrease) in conflictual interpersonal mother-son interchanges and their social cognitions over one year in order to (3) assess the extent to which attributional processes contribute toward aggressiveness (coerciveness) and aggressive interactions contribute toward mothers' and sons' attributions; and (4) assess whether there are particular setting conditions (e.g., maternal depression, spousal conflict, economic stress) that increase the tendency of some mother-son dyads to make negative attributions and engage in coercive interactions. Toward these ends, 250 mother-son dyads from white married families will be studied prospectively. Two assessments (each separated by one year) will be made of mothers' and their sons' (7-9 years of age) attributions and coercive interactions. In addition, assessments will be made of personal-social and socioecological setting conditions that may contribute toward some mother-son dyads being particularly vulnerable to making negative attributions and engaging in coercive interactions.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH044268-03
Application #
3383784
Study Section
Mental Health Behavioral Sciences Research Review Committee (BSR)
Project Start
1990-08-01
Project End
1994-07-31
Budget Start
1992-08-01
Budget End
1994-07-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Department
Type
Other Domestic Higher Education
DUNS #
616152567
City
Greensboro
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27402