High Overprotection Research Articles

Parental care and overprotection predict worry and anxiety symptoms in emerging adult students

Anxiety disorders represent a prevalent mental health concern, with escalating rates, especially among emerging adults. University students, in particular, face a myriad of academic and life stressors that can amplify feelings of worry and anxiety. While early parental bonding seem to predict anxiety disorders later in life, the applicability to emerging adult students and its applicability to predict sub-clinical and transdiagnostic anxiety features remain unclear. This study aims to examine i) the relationship between demographic variables and key features of anxiety disorders (i.e., worry and anxiety symptoms); and ii) the predictive association between early parental bonding and anxiety-related features. A sample of 370 university students in Italy (n = 279 females; M age = 20.84 years, SD age = 1.81 years) completed the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Females reported higher levels of worry and anxiety compared to males. Significantly higher worry and anxiety symptoms were reported by individuals who experienced affectionless control (low care and high overprotection) as compared to those exposed to optimal parenting (high care and low overprotection). Predictive models indicated that scores of parental care (i.e., the principal component between maternal and paternal care scores) and parental overprotection (i.e., the principal component between maternal and paternal overprotection scores) are robust predictors of worry and anxiety symptoms. However, this relationship showed a gender-specific pattern: lower parental care was more significant in predicting anxiety features in males, while high overprotection was more significant in females. The findings contribute to the comprehension of the risk factors influencing the susceptibility of emerging adult students to anxiety disorders.

Effects of Inappropriate Nurturing Experiences, Depressive Rumination, and Trait Anxiety on Depressive Symptoms.

Prior research has shown that inappropriate childhood nurturing experiences (low care and high overprotection), trait anxiety, and depressive rumination are risk factors for depression. However, no studies to date have analyzed the overall association between these factors and depressive symptoms. In the present study, we hypothesized that depressive rumination mediates the impacts of inappropriate childhood nurturing experiences on depressive symptoms, and that these mediating effects are moderated by trait anxiety, and tested these hypotheses in adult volunteers. The subjects were adult volunteers who were investigated between April 2017 and April 2018. A self-report questionnaire on demographic data, childhood nurturing experiences, trait anxiety, depressive rumination, and depressive symptoms was distributed to conduct the survey, and written informed consent and valid responses were obtained from 585 subjects. Mediation and moderated-mediation analyses were performed by SPSS 28 and macro PROCESS 4.0 software. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tokyo Medical University. Parental care showed a significant negative indirect effect on depressive symptoms via its effect on depressive rumination (p < 0.01), whereas parental overprotection showed the opposite effect (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the mediation effect of depressive rumination on depressive symptoms was increased by trait anxiety (p < 0.05). Our present study demonstrated that the main factor affecting depressive symptoms is inappropriate childhood nurturing experiences, which indirectly enhance depression by intensifying depressive rumination, and that depressive rumination and trait anxiety mutually reinforce each other to enhance depressive symptoms. These findings may be useful for the prevention of depressive symptoms. Large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm the causal associations among these factors in the future.

Inadequate care and excessive overprotection during childhood are associated with the presence of diabetes mellitus in adulthood in a general Japanese population: a cross-sectional analysis from the Hisayama Study

ObjectiveTo investigate associations between parenting styles during childhood and diabetes in adulthood in a Japanese community.MethodsIn 2011, 710 community-dwelling Japanese residents aged ≥ 40 years were assessed for the presence of diabetes and for their perceptions of the parenting style of their parents, as measured using the “care” and “overprotection” scales of the Parental Bonding Instrument. Care and overprotection scores for each parent were dichotomized by age-specific median values. Diabetes mellitus was defined as a fasting plasma glucose level of ≥ 7.0 mmol/L, a 2-h post-loaded glucose level of ≥ 11.1 mmol/L, HbA1c ≥ 6.5%, and/or the current use of insulin or oral glucose-lowering agents. The odds ratios (ORs) for prevalent diabetes were calculated using a logistic regression model.ResultsThe prevalence of diabetes was 14.9%. Subjects with a high paternal overprotection score had a significantly greater likelihood of prevalent diabetes than those with a low paternal overprotection score after adjusting for confounders (OR 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–2.77), while there was no significant association between paternal care and diabetes. Additionally, the multivariable-adjusted ORs for the presence of diabetes were significantly higher in subjects with a low maternal care score (OR 1.61, 95%CI 1.00–2.60) or in subjects with a high maternal overprotection score (OR 1.73, 95%CI 1.08–2.80). Moreover, the subjects with a low care score and high overprotection score for both their father and mother had a significantly higher multivariable-adjusted OR of diabetes than those with a high care score and low overprotection score for both parents (OR 2,12, 95%CI 1.14–3.95).ConclusionsThis study suggests that inadequate care and excessive overprotection during childhood may contribute to the development of diabetes in adulthood.

Trait anxiety and depressive rumination mediate the effect of perceived childhood rearing on adulthood presenteeism.

Productivity loss in the workplace due to physical or mental health problems, which is called presenteeism, leads to large financial losses. Personal and work environment factors, as well as physical and mental illnesses are associated with presenteeism, but the detailed underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the effects of perceived childhood rearing on the presenteeism of adult workers, and the mediating effects of trait anxiety and depressive rumination. In 2017 and 2018, a cross-sectional paper-based survey was conducted, and written consent from 447 adult workers was obtained. Demographic information and results from the Parental Bonding Instrument, trait anxiety of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y, Ruminative Responses Scale, and Work Limitations Questionnaire were surveyed. Multiple regression analyses and structural equation modeling were conducted. The low perceived quality of rearing from parents in childhood, i.e., low care and high overprotection, indirectly worsened current presenteeism via trait anxiety and depressive rumination. Presenteeism was directly worsened by trait anxiety and depressive rumination, and the low perceived quality of rearing from parents directly affected trait anxiety and depressive rumination, and trait anxiety affected depressive rumination. The results of this study clarified the long-term influences of the low perceived quality of rearing experienced in childhood on adulthood presenteeism via trait anxiety and depressive rumination. Therefore, assessing the quality of childhood rearing, trait anxiety, and depressive rumination of individuals may help to elucidate the causes of presenteeism in the workplace, and how to manage it effectively.

Families in Youth-to-Parent Aggression Situation: Clinical Symptoms, Parenting and Family Functioning

ABSTRACT One objective of this study was to obtain the psychological functioning profile of adolescents involved in youth-to-parent aggression (YPA) situations, as well as their family functioning, analyzing variables that had not received empirical attention, such as emotional intelligence, parental criticism, the parent-to-child bond, or knowledge of family history. Another objective was to explore which predictors related to adolescent characteristics, parenting and family functioning were most useful for discriminating between YPA and non-YPA groups. Participants were two equivalent groups (one from a family therapy center specializing in the treatment of YPA and a group from the general population), with a total of 133 adolescents and 256 parents. Regarding the psychological functioning of adolescents, the results indicated low emotion regulation and anxious-depressive symptomatology of adolescents involved in YPA. The parenting style was characterized by high overprotection and low care. However, family criticism (AUC = .828) was identified as the best predictor of YPA, with the capacity to discriminate between YPA and non-YPA groups. Families involved in YPA may have a rigid disengaged family functioning and affectionless-controlling parenting style. The central role of family criticism in YPA was unknown. The current study contributes to the literature by showing the need for individual psychological treatment and family therapy of all members of the family as a whole involved in YPA, not just the adolescent aggressors.

How parental smartphone addiction affects adolescent smartphone addiction: The effect of the parent-child relationship and parental bonding

BackgroundAdolescent smartphone addiction (ASA) has fueled concerns worldwide regarding the negative health effects. This study aimed to examine whether parental smartphone addiction (PSA) affected ASA, and evaluated the mediating role of the parent-child relationship and the moderating role of parental bonding in the effect from PSA to ASA, among a Chinese sample of parent-child pairs. MethodsA large-scale cross-sectional survey was conducted among 10- to 15-year-old students and their parents. ASA and PSA were assessed by Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI). The parent-child relationship was evaluated by Child-Parent Relationship Scale-Short Form (CPRS-SF), and parental bonding was estimated by Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Conditional process model was used to examine the relationship between PSA and ASA, as well as the mediating effect of parent-child relationship and the moderating effect of parental bonding. ResultsA total of 9515 adolescents and their parents completed the online survey. PSA significantly positively predicted ASA (B = 0.488, p < 0.001). The parent-child relationship negatively mediated the association from PSA to ASA (B = −0.321, p < 0.001). Parental overprotection moderated the indirect path from PSA to ASA through the parent-child relationship (B = −0.016, p < 0.001), but parental care had not any moderation (B = −0.005, p > 0.05). Specifically, parental overprotection had a positive moderating effect on the second half mediation path. The indirect effect of PSA on ASA through parent-child relationship was greater in higher overprotection than in lower. LimitationsCross-sectional study of self-administrated questionnaires. ConclusionsAdolescents had a higher tendency toward smartphone addiction when their parents excessively used smartphones. The findings highlighted the essential role of parent-child relationship and parental bonding in the association from PSA to ASA.

Affiliate Stigma in Caregivers of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The Roles of Stress-Coping Orientations and Parental Child-Rearing Styles

Affiliate stigma may increase the risks of negative parenting and psychological and depressive problems in caregivers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Evaluating affiliate stigma and determining how to reduce it are crucial to promoting mental health in caregivers and their children with ADHD. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of stress-coping orientations and parental child-rearing styles with the risk of high affiliate stigma in caregivers of children with ADHD in Taiwan. Affiliate stigma, stress-coping orientations, and parental child-rearing styles were assessed. The results of univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that caregivers’ gender, depressive symptoms, four orientations of stress coping, and two parenting styles, and children’s high severities of internalizing, externalizing, and ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with high affiliate stigma. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that after controlling for caregivers’ gender, depressive symptoms, and children’s severity of internalizing, externalizing, and ADHD symptoms, caregivers with high orientation of seeking social support were less likely to have high affiliate stigma than those with low orientation of seeking social support; the caregivers with high care and affection parenting were less likely to have high affiliate stigma than those with low care and affection parenting, whereas the caregivers with high overprotection parenting were more likely to have high affiliate stigma than those with low overprotection parenting. Intervention programs targeting caregiver affiliate stigma must consider various coping orientations and parental child-rearing styles in their approach.

Retrospective assessment of parental attitudes and the quality of the relationship with siblings during childhood

Introduction: According to the systems theory, one of the main factors that can modify the siblings’ bond are parental interactions (Derkman et al., 2011). Researchers indicate two approaches in this area: congruential, confirming the similarity between the sibling’s and parents’ relationships, and the compensatory approach regarding the possibility of compensation in siblings’ relations for a negative relationship with the parents. Method: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between the retrospective assessment of parental attitudes and the quality of sibling relations in childhood, including the evaluation of the moderating role of gender factor. Five hundred young adults participated in the study. The EMBU questionnaire – My Childhood Memories, STQ-Then – You and Your Siblings – Once, and a sociodemographic survey were used. Results: The study showed a positive relationship between the Emotional Warmth of the mother and father and the positive aspects of the relationship with siblings, i.e. Mutuality, Support, Care and Imitation, and a negative association with Criticism. High Overprotection and Rejection of parents were associated with a high level of Criticism in sibling relationships. Moreover, parents’ Rejection correlated negatively with Mutuality, Support, and Imitation, while mother’s Overprotection correlated negatively with Mutuality and Support. The gender of respondents was a moderator in two relationships: between Rejection of the father and Support in siblings, and the Emotional Warmth of the father and the level of Care between children. Conclusions: The obtained results are consistent with the congruent approach: parental attitudes based on closeness and support translated into a warm and mutual relationship between siblings, while negative attitudes were associated with a lower quality of relations between brothers and sisters. The child’s gender was particularly important in relation to the relationship between the quality of relations with siblings and the father’s interactions.

Interactive Effects of Perceived Parental Rearing Styles on Distress Tolerance and Psychological Distress in Pakistani University Students

Several empirical studies have linked parenting styles with different mental health consequences in samples from Western nations, with some studies also in East Asian countries. However, few studies have analyzed such associations specifically in South Asian countries such as Pakistan. Moreover, few studies have examined the potential interactive role of parental rearing practices by both parents in relation to distress tolerance and psychological distress. In the current study, we evaluated the interaction of mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles in relation to distress tolerance and psychological distress in Pakistani university students. Three hundred university students were recruited using a stratified sampling strategy. Students completed measures of their mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles (separately), their distress tolerance, and their general psychological distress. There was great similarity in respondents’ recollection of parenting styles by mothers and fathers. Results of regression analyses indicated that high parental rejection and overprotection were associated with poorer distress tolerance and greater psychological distress. Although the direct associations of emotional warmth with distress tolerance and psychological distress were small, emotional warmth interacted with other parenting styles, such that negative effects of parental rejection and overprotection were lessened in the context of higher emotional warmth.

Affectionless control: A parenting style associated with obesity and binge eating disorder in adulthood.

Obesity is rising globally with a heavy health and economic burden. Early attachment experiences are relevant to the development of obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate if parental care and attachment style experienced in childhood is associated with obesity, with or without binge eating disorder (BED), in adulthood. Parental style, personality traits, and psychopathology were assessed in 810 clinically referred adults with obesity, of whom 357 with BED and 453 without BED (non-BED), and 463 healthy subjects (HS). Assessments included the Parental Bonding Instrument, Temperament and Character Inventory, Eating Disorder Inventory-2, Symptom Checklist-90 and Beck Depression Inventory-II. Both BED and non-BED reported lower maternal and paternal care and higher overprotection than HS. BED reported worse levels of parental care than non-BED and HS. 'Affectionless control' parenting style was more frequently reported by both BED and non-BED than HS. No significant differences in parenting style emerged between BED and non-BED. Perception of parental 'affectionless control' was associated with obesity in adults, and lower quality of parental care was more frequently reported by participants with BED. Parental style may constitute an important target for early interventions to prevent obesity.

Parenting style during childhood is associated with the development of chronic pain and a patient's need for psychosomatic treatment in adulthood

The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between parenting style and chronic pain and the patients' need for psychosomatic treatment in adulthood.We compared 4 combinations of 2 parenting style subscales, high and low care and overprotection, among the following 4 age- and sex-matched groups: community-dwelling subjects without chronic pain (n = 100), community-dwelling subjects with chronic pain (n = 100), outpatients with chronic pain (n = 50), and inpatients with chronic pain (n = 50). Parenting style was assessed for both the mother and father by use of the Parental Bonding Instrument questionnaire. The parenting style associated with the worst outcome was defined as both low care and high overprotection, as reported in previous studies.The frequency of reported adverse parenting style was significantly higher among chronic pain patients than community-dwelling subjects without chronic pain (all P < .05). The odds ratios for an adverse parenting style significantly increased through the categories after adjusting for demographic factors and the pain visual analog scale (P for trend <.01).These findings suggest that parental low care and high overprotection during childhood contribute to the future risk of chronic pain and the patients' need for psychosomatic treatment in adulthood.

DRD2 Taq IA Polymorphism Interacts with Parenting in Predicting Creativity: Evidence of Differential Susceptibility

ABSTRACT This study investigated the interactive effect of Dopamine D2 receptor gene Taq 1A (DRD2 rs1800497) and parental behavior on creativity and examined whether a potential gene–parenting interaction (G × E) would be consistent with one of two models of gene–environment interplay (diathesis-stress vs. differential susceptibility). In a sample of university undergraduates (N = 517), we found evidence of G × E between the DRD2 TaqIA polymorphism and perceived maternal overprotection behavior, but not maternal care, with regard to creativity. Confirmatory model indicates that this interaction effect conformed to the differential susceptibility, rather than diathesis-stress model. Thus, individuals with A1A1 genotype of the DRD2 gene are more creative than A2 carriers when their mothers were less involved in overprotection but less creative under condition of high maternal overprotection. No significant interaction of DRD2 TaqIA polymorphism and paternal behavior was found. Our findings provide initial evidence for the differential susceptibility model in the field of creativity, suggesting DRD2 TaqIA polymorphism may operate as a “plasticity gene.” Further studies need to test these effects.

Affectionless Control: A Risky Parenting Style for the Development of Obesity in Adulthood

Background: Obesity prevalence is rising globally in the last decades with heavy health and economic burden. Early attachment experiences are relevant co-factors for the development of obesity in adulthood. The present research assessed a large group of subjects affected with obesity, either with or without binge-eating disorder (BED) and compared them with non-obese healthy subjects to find out the childhood parenting styles specifically associated with obesity and/or BED. Methods: 810 clinically referred adult participants with obesity (357 with BED and 453 without BED), mean age 41∙7 years, and 463 healthy subjects were administered measures of perceived parental style (Parental Bonding Instrument), personality traits (Temperament and Character Inventory), and psychopathology (Eating Disorder Inventory-2, Symptom Cheklist-90, and Beck Depression Inventory-II). Outcomes: BED and non-BED participants showed lower maternal and paternal care and higher overprotection with respect to healthy subjects. BED patients reported worse levels of care than non-BED. A parenting style defined as “affectionless control” was more frequenty reported by both BED (OR=6∙39 for father and 5∙48 for mother) and non-BED patients (OR=4∙93 for father and 4∙57 for mother), with significantly stronger association if both parents displayed the same parenting style (OR=8∙68 for BED and 6∙63 for non-BED). The risk for BED attitudes is related to maternal neglectful parenting with a low OR. Interpretation: Maternal and paternal “affectionless control” may represent an important risk factor for the pathogenesis of obesity in adulthood, with an OR comparable to the risk of smoking 20 cigarettes per day for lung cancer. Optimal parenting and affective constraint parenting styles are protective towards obesity. Because parenting attitudes are influenced by acculturation and psychoeducation, prevention of obesity in western countries should promote also healthy parenting styles. Funding: The present research did not receive any economical support. Declaration of Interest: The authors declare non conflict of interest with the present publication. Ethical Approval: All recruited participants provided written informed consent to this study. All the procedures were conducted according to the 1995 Declaration of Helsinki as revised in Edinburgh in 2000. Study was approved by the Ethics Committee of AOU City of Science and Health, Turin (protocol number: CS2 366).

Familial and personal characteristics profiles predict bias in academic competence and impostorism self-evaluations

ABSTRACT The goal of this longitudinal study was to explore the familial and personal characteristics that are potentially shared by two related phenomena observed in students: negative bias in self-evaluation of academic competence and impostorism. Specifically, this study aimed to examine whether the same set of characteristics (parental overprotection, conditional parental support, test anxiety, concern over mistakes and self-esteem) could be combined to predict both phenomena in high school students. To do so, these characteristics were first measured in 648 7th and 8th graders. In the three following years, students’ negative bias and impostorism were assessed. A latent profile analysis revealed a two-class model of characteristics. One group presented a “negative” pattern characterized by high parental overprotection, conditional parental support, test anxiety and concern over mistakes, and low self-esteem. Another group presented a “positive” pattern: students’ scores on all familial and personal variables were more favorable. As hypothesized, membership in the “negative” profile predicted negative bias and impostorism at T2, T3, and T4. This highlights the principle of multifinality and suggests that the two phenomena might be distinct aspects of a single broader issue such as a tendency toward a biased interpretation of information about one’s own competence, or self-protection.

The effects of Toxic Early Childhood Experiences on Depression according to Young Schema Model: A Scoping Review.

Young Schema Model (YSM) emphasizes Toxic Early Childhood Experiences (TECE) as vulnerability factors to depression. However, the lack of consensus on how to define and measure TECE is likely to have led to inconsistent findings in current literature. This review maps supported and unsupported pathways to depression and measures used. A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute protocol to identify primary research studies that examined developmental and maintenance pathways to depression within the YSM framework. 2463 articles were identified with 49 primary research studies selected for inclusion. As a subset of the overall review, this paper focuses on the 14 studies that examined effects of TECE on depression in context of YSM. The studies used 11 different measures to examine the role of TECE in depression. Effects of maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect,) and perceived parenting (i.e., low care, high rejection, high overprotection and/or control, maladaptive parenting styles) on depression are well supported. Effects of sexual abuse and physical neglect on depression are currently inconclusive. In conclusion, findings revealed the inconsistent definition and measurement of TECE (with 11 different measures) in current literature. Findings support the effects of physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, low care, high rejection, high overprotection and/or control, and maladaptive parenting styles on depression. Limitations of existing studies include researchers' inconsistent definition and measurement of TECE, under-examined TECE sub-constructs, possible moderating relationships, predominant cross-sectional design, and homogeneous sampling. Limitations of the scoping review include its small number of studies and the absence of evaluation of the measures used. Nevertheless, this review represents the first step in the systematic examination of the empirical basis of YSM and is an important contribution to depression treatment and innovation.

Genetic and peripheral markers of the oxytocin system and parental care jointly support the cross-generational transmission of bonding across three generations

BackgroundHuman and animal research indicates that oxytocin (OT) plays a key role in the cross-generational transmission of parental bonding, and human studies suggest that allelic variations on the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and circulating OT levels interact with patterns of parental care to shape children's social-affiliative competencies. Yet, no study to date has tested the joint contribution of OT and parental care across three generations. MethodsThe study included 345 participants comprising 115 family lines of grandmothers, mothers, and their infants. Salivary OT and allelic variations on the OXTR (rs53576 and rs2254298) and CD38 (rs3796863) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which have been previously associated with parental bonding, were assessed in all participants. Parental care was measured from grandmothers to mothers and from mothers to their infants. ResultsMothers receiving parenting characterized by high overprotection from grandmothers showed more rejection toward their infants only when carrying the G allele on the OXTRrs53576 (AG/GG). These mothers of highly overprotective grandmothers also had lower oxytocin levels. Infants who were OXTRrs2254298 A carriers (AA/AG) and whose mothers reported more rejection toward their infants had higher oxytocin levels. Grandmothers receiving higher overprotection from great-grandmothers showed poorer parenting style compared to grandmothers experiencing lower parental overprotection only when carrying the OXTRrs2254298 GG genotype. ConclusionsOur findings are the first to demonstrate how genetic and peripheral markers on the oxytocin system interact with experienced parenting to shape bonding across three generations. Results have important implications for specifying the biological and behavioral determinants associated with the continuity of adaptive versus maladaptive patterns of attachment across generations.

Early trauma experiences, parenting styles, and personality patterns in individuals with depression from India

The study was carried out to understand the vulnerability factors for depression. The objectives were to, explore the early trauma experiences, parenting styles and personality patterns in depression and to examine relationship between the variables.The Sample composed of 30 individuals diagnosed with depression and 30 controls from the community in the age range of 18–45 years. The tools used were Socio demographic sheet, MINI-International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus, Beck Depression Inventory- II, Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form, Parental Bonding Instrument, Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale, and General Health Questionnaire –12. Study group had significantly lower score on father care and higher overprotection from both parents along with higher scores on general punishment, emotional abuse, total trauma score and sociotropy compared to control group. Depression and early trauma experiences were positively correlated with mother’s overprotection and negatively correlated with mother ...

The influence of parental care and overprotection, neuroticism and adult stressful life events on depressive symptoms in the general adult population

BackgroundThe quality of parenting, neuroticism, and adult stressful life events are reportedly associated with depressive symptoms. However, previous studies have not examined the complex interaction between these three factors. In this study, we hypothesized that the quality of parenting (care and overprotection) acts on depressive symptoms through 'neuroticism' and the appraisal of adult stressful life events, and this hypothesis was verified by structural equation modeling. MethodsFour hundred one participants from the general adult population were studied using the following self-administered questionnaire surveys: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), neuroticism subscale of the short version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-revised (EPQ-R), and Life Experiences Survey (LES). The data were analyzed with single and multiple regression analyses and covariance structure analyses. ResultsIn the covariance structure analysis, neuroticism scores and negative change scores on the LES acted on the depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 scores) directly, but care or overprotection in childhood on the PBI did not act on them directly. Low care and high overprotection of the PBI increased depressive symptoms and negative change scores on the LES through enhanced neuroticism, which is regarded as a mediator in these effects. LimitationsThe subjects of this study were nonclinical volunteers; the findings might not be generalizable to psychiatric patients. ConclusionsThis research showed that low care and high overprotection of maternal and paternal parenting in childhood influence depressive symptoms indirectly through enhanced neuroticism in general adults. These findings suggest that neuroticism mediates the long-term effect of the quality of parenting on depression in adulthood.

Anxiety-Proneness, Anxiety Symptoms, and The Role of Parental Overprotection in Young South African Children

This study examined anxiety in preschool children within a South-African context. The parents and teachers of 101 South African children aged 2 to 6 years completed measures of children's anxiety-prone temperament (behavioral inhibition) and anxiety disorders symptoms. Parents and teachers of 59 children could be re-approached one year later, with the request to fill in both scales again, while parents at that time also completed a measure of parental overprotection. Results indicated that, compared with normative scores collected in Western countries, young South African children displayed relatively high levels of anxiety-proneness and anxiety disorders symptoms, although this cultural difference could only be demonstrated when using the parentreport data. Further, on both occasions there were substantial and positive correlations between children's behavioral inhibition and anxiety symptoms. Behavioral inhibition and anxiety symptoms, in particular when assessed by parent report, appeared to be fairly stable during the one-year period, and we found only tentative support for the idea that behavioral inhibition on time 1 increased the risk for anxiety symptoms on time 2. Finally, a cross-sectional analysis of the data collected on time 2 revealed a positive correlation between overprotection and children's anxiety symptoms as well as a marginally significant interaction of behavioral inhibition and overprotection on children's anxiety symptoms, indicating that in particular the combination of high behavioral inhibition and high overprotection tended to be associated with the highest anxiety levels.

Perceived inadequate care and excessive overprotection during childhood are associated with greater risk of sleep disturbance in adulthood: the Hisayama Study.

BackgroundSleep disturbance and poor sleep quality are major health problems worldwide. One potential risk factor for the development and maintenance of sleep disturbance is the parenting style experienced during childhood. However, its role in sleep disturbance in adulthood has not yet been estimated. This Japanese population study was done to clarify the relation between the parenting styles “care” and “overprotection” during childhood and sleep disturbance in adulthood.MethodsA total of 702 community-dwelling Japanese residents aged ≥ 40 years were assessed in 2011 for their perceptions of the parenting style of their parents by use of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and for sleep disturbance by use of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The odds ratio (OR) for sleep disturbance (a global PSQI score > 5) was calculated using a logistic regression model.ResultsThe prevalence of sleep disturbance was 29 %. After adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and physical factors in a comparison with the optimal parenting styles (high care and low overprotection), the ORs for sleep disturbance by men were significantly higher for low paternal care, by 2.49 times (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.21–5.09), and for high overprotection, by 2.40 times (95 % CI: 1.19–4.85), while the ORs were not significant for low maternal care and high overprotection. For women the only significant factor was high maternal overprotection, by 1.62 times (95 % CI: 1.05–2.52), while the ORs were not significant for low maternal care, low paternal care and high paternal overprotection. The association remained significant for high paternal overprotection for men after additionally controlling for depression.ConclusionsThis study suggests that parenting style, especially inadequate care and excessive overprotection during childhood, is related to sleep disturbance in adulthood and that the association is much more significant for parents of the same sex as the child.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-016-0926-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.