De relatie tussen disfunctionele attributies en positieve disciplinering bij kinderen tussen de twee en vier jaar

Abstract

Background: Understanding the factors contributing to the use of positive discipline is essential to support parents in developing effective parenting strategies. Despite the known role of dysfunctional attributions in harsh discipline, there is limited insight into the role these attributions play in positive discipline. Additionally, it is unknown whether dysfunctional attributions play a similar role in fathers as in mothers. This research therefore focuses on the relationship between dysfunctional attributions – child-responsible and parent-causal – and positive discipline in toddlers, and whether this relationship is the same for mothers and fathers. Method: 118 Dutch families with children between two and four years old completed an online questionnaire. This questionnaire measured, among other things, dysfunctional attributions and positive discipline. Results: The multiple regression analysis of fathers is significant. It shows that parent-causal attributions predicts significantly less positive discipline. The regression model for mothers is not significant, but there are indications that parent-causal attributions in mothers also lead to less positive discipline. Conclusion: As parents, especially fathers, make more parent-causal attributions, they use less positive discipline. This finding underscores the importance of interventions targeting both mothers and fathers, thus supporting both parents in developing effective parenting strategies.