Relation between Parental Attributions and the Acceptability of Behavioral Treatments for Their Child's Behavior Problems

This investigation was conducted to identify the relationship between parental causal attributions of children's behavior problems and the acceptability of behavioral interventions. At 1-, 3-, and 6-month intervals, parents rated the acceptability of behavioral treatments recommended to them for their children's behavior problems and completed an attribution measure. Results indicated that a significant, negative correlation exists between physical attribution ratings and acceptability ratings of behavioral treatments with the magnitude of the correlation increasing over time. Results are discussed in relation to the clinical implications of the findings as well as the need for additional research.