Publication Date

8-1986

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Karlene Ball, Harry Robe, Allan Bloom

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

The Parent - Child Situation Scale (PCSS) was developed to measure parental attributions toward handicapped children's behavior. The PCSS was administered to mothers of handicapped children. The final version of the scale possessed good reliability. Coefficient alphas for the PCSS were .74 for the internal - external attribution subscale, .70 for the stable - unstable subscale, and .72 for the global - specific subscale. Factor analysis of the PCSS revealed three factors corresponding to the three attribution types. The internal - external subscale's validity was supported. The other two subscales, however, appeared to have only moderate validity. Responses of college students to the PCSS suggested that the scale was not as suitable for this population. Recommendations for further research concerning the scale's reliability and validity were made. The study concluded with a discussion of the PCSS' utility for research on stress in parents of handicapped children.

Disciplines

Child Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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