Parents' social problem-solving strategies in families with aggressive and non-aggressive boys

✍ Scribed by Laura Pakaslahti; Ritva-Liisa Asplund-Peltola; Liisa Keltikangas-Järvinen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 834 KB
• Volume: 22
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0096-140X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-2337(1996)22:5<345::aid-ab3>3.0.co;2-i

✦ Synopsis

This study examines the differences in social problem-solving strategies among parents of aggressive and non-aggressive boys. The subjects were the parents of 27 aggressive boys (27 mothers and 18 fathers) and of 28 non-aggressive boys (26 mothers and 20 fathers). Social problem-solving strategies were assessed from subject descriptions of six social problems arising in the daily lives of the adolescents. The results showed that the parents of both the non-aggressive and aggressive boys helped their sons to solve social problems, but the parents of the aggressive boys were more likely to be indifferent and punishment oriented. The role of the fathers was crucial. They were active in the families with non-aggressive boys, while the mothers were passive, but passive in the families with aggressive boys, while the mother had a supervising role. The solutions suggested by the fathers of the non-aggressive boys were more in number and focused on improving the social problem-solving skills of the son, i.e., the fathers discussed the problems, advised and helped their sons to solve them more than the fathers of the aggressive boys. It may be suggested that fathers' social problem-solving strategies and parental roles are of importance in the development of children's social behavior.