The current study examined the relation between parental empathy, parenting aggression and child maladjustment in a group of parents who perpetrated child abuse and neglect. Twenty parents who were court mandated to receive a parenting intervention program at the Nest Center for Women, Children, and Families participated in this research study. Information about parental dispositional empathy, parent-child specific empathy, parenting aggression and child internalizing and externalizing symptoms were collected through an interview with the parents. Parents in this study reported high levels of dispositional empathy, but exhibited low to moderate levels of empathy in a parent-child relationship rated by coders. Parents also reported low levels of parenting aggression across psychological aggression, corporal punishment and psychological control. Examining the relation between parental empathy and aggressive parenting revealed that parent-child specific empathy, but not dispositional empathy, was negatively associated with parental psychological control. In a subsample of older children in middle childhood and adolescence, parental affective dispositional empathy was negatively associated with child externalizing symptoms. The current study links parental empathy to parental psychological control and emphasizes the importance of examining empathy in a specific relationship in addition to dispositional empathy.

過去研究指出，親職壓力是造成兒童虐待的危險因子之一。本研究探討：親職壓力因應策略與親職同理心對管教行為的影響，或此兩變項是否能調節親職壓力對管教行為的影響，欲透過研究結果來加強兒童虐待的預防。本研究請每位受試者填寫五種量表，分別為：基本資料、親職同理心、親職壓力、親職壓力因應與親職衝突策略量表，利用零相關和階層迴歸，分析142位育有國小子女之單親母親所填寫的量表。研究結果部分符合預期：親職壓力因應策略中的「主動面對問題」、「逃避隱藏情緒」可以調節親職壓力對非暴力管教行為的影響，「情緒認知調整」亦在親職壓力和嚴重攻擊管教行為間扮演調節變項。除了調節作用外，親職壓力因應策略對管教行為有獨特的預測力：「主動面對問題」使用經常性越高，輕度攻擊的使用次數越多，「負面情緒反應」使用經常性越高，心理攻擊和輕度攻擊的使用次數越多。「親職同理心」則對管教行為沒有獨特的預測力，也不具有調節作用。另外亦發現「親職同理心」和「逃避隱藏情緒」可以預測親職壓力。本研究針對研究結果進行討論，包括管教行為與兒童虐待的關係、親職壓力因應策略與管教行為間的關係、親職同理心扮演的角色，以及單親母親兒童虐待行為的預防。 / According to previous studies, parenting stress is one of the risk factors of child abuse. This study explored the influence of parenting stress- coping styles and parental empathy on parenting practices, and examined the moderating effect of these variables on the relationship between parenting stress and parenting practices. The subjects were asked to complete the questionnaires including: basic information, parental empathy scale, parenting stress scale, parenting stress-coping scale, and Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales. Zero-order correlation and hierarchical regression analysis were used to analyze the scales completed by 142 single mothers. The results indicated that “Facing the problems actively” and “Evading hidden feelings” could moderate the relationship between parenting stress and non-violent discipline. “Adjustment in sentimental cognition” could moderate the relationship between parenting stress and severe assault. Furthermore, some of the parenting stress- coping styles had main effect on parenting practices: “Facing the problems actively” had a positive effect on minor assault. “Negative sentimental reaction” had a positive effect on psychological aggression and minor assault. There were no main effects nor moderator effect of parental empathy. The relationship between parenting practices and child abuse, the influence of parenting stress- coping styles on parenting practices, the role of parental empathy, and the prevention of child abuse in single-mother households were discussed in this study.