This study was undertaken to identify the relative contribution of personal and environmental variables to the reported frequency of use of coercive control behaviors in a nonclinical sample of mothers. Seventy mothers of 6- to 8-year-old children participated; half were from single-parent families. Results of analysis of variance indicate that schooling level and number of children significantly affect the use of authoritarian maternal conduct. Multiple regression analysis reveals that values of conformity held by mothers, high levels of home density, low occupational status, and scarcity of social support resources (all included in Factor 3) account for 30% of the variance in coercion scores. Although educational level is associated with only 9% of the variance, it strongly influences the relationship between Factor 3 and use of coercive behaviors. This is true for mothers in both single- and two-parent families. Single mothers are more critical in the appraisal of their physical and social environments and report more potentially stressful life events. On the other hand, a social network is identified with help in the emotional and instrumental areas. (Author/BG)