SYNOPSIS
Objective. The present study examined mean level similarities and differences as well as correlations between mothers' and fathers' attributions regarding successes and failures in caregiving situations and progressive versus authoritarian attitudes. Design. Interviews were conducted with mothers and fathers in 77 Swedish families. Results. Fathers reported higher adult-controlled failure and child-controlled failure attributions than did mothers; these differences remained significant after controlling for parents' age, education, and possible social desirability bias. Significant positive correlations were found for mothers' and fathers' progressive attitudes, authoritarian attitudes, and modernity of attitudes after controlling for parents' age, education, and possible social desirability bias. Conclusions. In Sweden, fathers are more likely to attribute failures in caregiving situations to themselves and to children than are mothers, and there is moderate concordance between fathers and mothers within the same family in progressive and authoritarian parenting attitudes.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grant RO1-HD054805, as well as University West, Sweden.