Unrealistic expectations and problem-solving ability in maltreating and comparison mothers

Administered a child development questionnaire, a parent opinion questionnaire, and a parent problem-solving instrument to 10 abusing mothers, 10 neglectful mothers, and 10 matched nonabusing mothers to determine differences in expectations and problem solving. Results show that both groups of maltreating Ss had significantly greater unrealistic expectations and poorer problem-solving skills than did comparison Ss. No differences were found between Ss in the 2 maltreating groups. It is suggested that interventions aimed at modifying faulty expectations and training problem-solving skills would be helpful to maltreating mothers. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).