RELATIONS AMONG DISCIPLINE STYLE, CHILD-BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS, AND PERCEIVED INEFFECTIVENESS AS A CAREGIVER AMONG PARENTS WITH CONDUCT PROBLEM CHILDREN

Relations among discipline style, parents' self-attributions in the ca regiver role, and child behaviour problems within a clinical sample we re examined. Data were collected on 253 parents of 274, six to 12 year old, clinic-referred, conduct problem children. Principal components factor analysis of parents' responses to eight discipline techniques r evealed two general styles labeled severe and mild aversive. Hierarchi cal regression analyses supported the mediating role of parents' self- efficacy as a caregiver for the severe aversive, but not the mild aver sive, discipline style after controlling for demographic variables. Re sults also found that parents who felt ineffective in using a particul ar discipline technique rated their child as having more behaviour pro blems than parents who either did not use that technique or used the t echnique effectively. The clinical implications of these findings for parent management training are discussed.