Parental Acceptance–Rejection and Adolescent Maladjustment: Mothers’ and Fathers’ Combined Roles

Abstract

In this study we examined the relationship between adolescent reports of paternal and maternal acceptance–rejection and adolescent maladjustment to test the hypothesis that inter-parental inconsistency was a specific risk factor for maladjustment. The participants were 2624 adolescents (1316 boys) aged between 10 and 16 years. Perceived maternal and paternal acceptance–rejection—defined in terms of the framework of interpersonal acceptance–rejection theory—and anxiety–depression symptoms and aggressive behaviors were assessed. The intraclass correlation coefficients were performed to evaluate the impact of inter-parental inconsistency on adolescent adjustment. Moreover, a cluster analysis was used to uncover patterns in combinations of maternal and paternal acceptance–rejection. Our findings show that, in general, adolescents perceive their mothers and fathers as similarly accepting or rejecting. Parental rejection was associated with adolescent maladjustment. Inter-parental inconsistency in acceptance–rejection was also associated with maladaptive symptoms and behaviors. Living in a non-intact family amplified the effects of rejection and inter-parental inconsistency. Effects of parental rejection are observed also during adolescence; both parents are equally influential and even one rejecting parent is risk factor for adolescent maladjustment.