INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK, MARITAL C ONFLICTS AND PARENTAL STRESS ON THE QUALITY OF MOTHER-SON AND MOTHER-DAUGHTER INTERACTIONS

Biological and social learning theories suggest that young boys will b e more reactive to familial and extrafamilial stressors. Therefore, It was hypothesized that these adverse conditions would have a greater i mpact on mother-son interactions as compared to mother-daugther intera ctions. Ninety-seven mother-child pairs were observed in a laboratory setting in the presence on another unfamiliar mother-child pair. Resul ts indicated that economic, marital and parental stress accounted for up to eight times more variance in mother-son interaction as compared to mother-daughter. Mothers who reported more social isolation, a more coercive marital relationship, and greater stress in the parental rol e, were more distant, colder, and less attentive in their interactions with their preschool sons. These results are interpreted in terms of a bidirectional model in which maternal, child and family ecology cont ributions are considered.