Memories of Upbringing in Relation to Mental Health of Young Adults

Abstract

Our mental well-being can be significantly affected by our recollections of our upbringing, especially our memories of how we were parented. This study focuses on the impact of memories of parenting on the mental health of young adults. The study employed the EMBU scale to measure recollections of upbringing. The scale measures emotional warmth, rejection, and overprotection as the three parenting/upbringing axes. The study evaluated the mental health of 160 participants, aged between 18 and 25, using the DASS-21 scale, which includes three subscales: depression, anxiety, and stress. Pearson Correlation and Regression was used to analyze the relationship between the above mentioned variables. The results revealed significant correlations between rejection and mental health (r = .609, p < .01), warmth and rejection (r = -.350, p < .01), warmth and mental health (r = .156, p < .05), and overprotection and mental health (r = .850, p < .01). Additionally, a regression analysis showed that rejection significantly predicted mental health (β = .355, p < .001), even after controlling for overprotection. These findings suggest that higher levels of rejection are associated with poorer mental health outcomes, while warmth and overprotection have mixed relationships with mental health. Keywords: Memories of upbringing, mental health, depression, anxiety, stress, rejection, warmth & overprotection.