Predicting maladaptive parenting : the role of maternal object relations

Thirty-four mother-child dyads participated in a two session experiment investigating the relationship between mother object relations and maladaptive parenting processes in a larger multivariate model. In the first session, trained observers videotaped mothers and their children in natural interaction within their own home. In the second session, mothers completed several questionaires tapping child behavior, mother depression, socioemotional climate, and mother object relations. Mothers then viewed a portion of the videotape and indicated instances of positive and deviant child behaviors as they would define them. Four maladaptive parenting processes, including mother compliance with disobedient child behavior, mother indiscriminate child-care behavior, and two indices of mother monitoring bias, were derived using a standardized videotape coding procedure. The results of correlation and regression analyses showed that object relations variables accounted for variance that was not explained by the covariates for mother indiscriminance, but not for mother compliance or either index of monitoring bias. These results are discussed within the framework of understanding maladaptive parenting.