De La Salle University
Summary and Analysis
The Relationship between Divorced Mothers' Perceived Control over Child Rearing and Children's Post-Divorce Development
Sandra Machida and Susan D. Holloway
L92
Raissa Abigail Key
Erica May Naranjo
Edgar Jerald Pajaro
Reena Mae Pascual
Dr. Sherlyne Almonte- Acosta
Introduction to Childhood Development
Summary
Divorced parents usually end up having bad relationships with their children and their parenting styles are not consistent. In this study the hypothesis is that mothers' beliefs about their role in guiding children's development and their perceptions of controllability are impotant correlates of children's development in the post-divorce period. This study considers mother belief variables (maternal perceived control, internal attributions for positive events and internal attributions for negative events) and familial variables (time since separation, sex of target child, perceived degree of harmony between mother and father and perceived regularity of father-child contact by mothers) and looks at the child's knowledge or kindergarten readiness, task orientation, self-esteem, and physical and psychological symptoms.
The study has proved that maternal perceived control was a significant predictor for the children's self-esteem and symptoms. It showed that parents who felt that they are in control turns out to have competent children. And the symptoms were fewer compared to those who feel that they have less control. Internal attributions is also significant in relation with self-esteem. Children who have their fathers frequently visit turned out to be more task oriented.
The results suggests that beliefs may affect the adjustment of children especially in the socio-emotional areas. Parenting also affects the children. Children who have warm and firm parents turned out to be more socially competent and having fewer externalizing problems than children who don't. The study also shows that...