Recollections of Parental Acceptance and Control and Perceptions of Elder Abuse

Abstract

This study examined recollections of parental acceptance and control and perceptions of the abusiveness and typicality of care-giver behaviors toward elderly adults in Korean and Caucasian American undergraduate students. American students recalled their fathers and mothers as more accepting and more controlling than did Korean students. Korean students viewed psychological abuse towards the elderly as more abusive but material abuse, physical abuse, and neglect as less abusive than did American students. Parental acceptance was positively related to perceptions of abusiveness in both groups, but father control was associated with perceptions of abusiveness for Korean, but not for American, students. The implications of these findings are discussed.