CAREGIVER BELIEFS AND DYSPHORIC AFFECT DIRECTED TO DIFFICULT CHILDREN

It was predicted that affective responses of caregivers occur as an interactive function of child characteristics and adult attributions. Mothers in counseling at a child-abuse agency identified one of their children as relatively difficult (and more subject to discipline) and a second child as relatively easy; objective observations revealed that difficult children were more socially unresponsive and acted more inappropriately than did their easier siblings. Sibling pairs were videotaped interacting with unrelated mothers from the general community. Facial and vocal affect directed to difficult children was more dysphoric than that directed to their siblings-in particular among women who attributed relatively high control to children and low control to adults over unsuccessful caregiving. A similar relation between affect and attributions was found for related mothers. Adults with low-control attributions were interpreted as having a low threshold of affective reactivity.