The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in mothers' childrearing practices toward children with and without behavior problems involving externalizing behaviors (clinical and non-clinical group, respectively). Thirty mother-child dyads from both low and medium-low SES level participated in the study. Children were of both sexes, with ages ranging from five to six years. The dyads were assigned to the clinical or non-clinical group based on the children's scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The mothers were interviewed about their childrearing practices in both structured and spontaneous situations. Content analysis of the interviews regarding the structured situations revealed that the mothers of the clinical group mentioned significantly more coercive practices than did mothers of the non-clinical group. The same trend appeared in the spontaneous situations, although the differences were not significant.
Childrearing practices; behavior problems; preschool children
