Parental Acceptance-rejection Theory Research Articles

The perceived quality of maternal care during childhood shapes attentional bias to infant faces in parents and nonparents.

While research has shown that the attentional bias to infant faces predicts the quality of infant care, the antecedents of this cognitive process have been less established. In particular, it remains unknown whether the attentional bias to infant faces might be affected by the interplay between different factors, including memories of past experiences of care, adults' sex, and the experience of parenthood. To extend previous results, we examined the attentional bias to infant faces in a mixed sample of parents (n = 99) and nonparents (n = 102), and whether it varied in relation to parental status, sex, the quality of past experiences of care, and the interactions between these factors. A modified go/no-go task was used to compare the effect of adult and infant faces in retaining adults' attention. Memories of past experiences of paternal and maternal care were collected using the short form of the Italian version of the Parental Acceptance-Rejection scale. Results confirmed that infant faces induced greater attentional interference compared to adult faces. A heightened attention to all types of faces was found in parents versus nonparent. Women, as compared to men, were slower in the task performance, and allocated more attention to infant versus adult faces. Consistent with previous evidence, the attentional prioritization of infant faces varied in relation to previous experiences of care with one's own mother; individuals who remembered a more accepting maternal care allocated more attention to infant versus adult faces. Parental status did not modulate this effect, but sex of participants did. Grounded in the interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory), this study provides new insights for discerning processes that might regulate global adult caregiving. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Behind the Canvas: A Novel Exploring Childhood Verbal Abuse’s Effects on Adolescents’ Behavioral Development

The number of child abuse, particularly verbal abuse, has been increasing over the past decades. The increase happens because of some people’s rationalization toward verbal abuse, especially because they believe that verbal abuse is an effective discipline method for their children. Reflecting on this reality, this creative work highlights the issues of childhood verbal abuse on the victims’ behavioral development by displaying the types, the consequences, and the healing steps of childhood verbal abuse. The exploration of the aforementioned issues is supported by Rohner’s Parental Acceptance-Rejection Theory and Bowlby’s Attachment Theory. The form of this creative work is a bildungsroman novel about the journey of a boy named Elliot who suffers from verbal abuse from his mother due to his birth origin.

The role of parental rejection and poverty in the development of prosocial behavior among left-behind adolescents in rural China

Studies have shown left-behind adolescents in rural China having less prosocial behavior than their non-left-behind peers. Although parenting styles have a role to play in the development of prosocial behavior, more studies are warranted to understand the underlying mechanisms and the conditions that could increase (or buffer) the positive (negative) association between parenting style and prosocial behavior. Based on the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Theory and other theoretical models, the present study proposed and tested a moderated mediation model to examine the mediating role of moral identity in the relationship between parental rejection and prosocial behavior as well as the moderating effects of subjective poverty on the relationship between parental rejection and prosocial behavior as well as between moral identity and prosocial behavior. A total of 714 rural left-behind adolescents in China answered a questionnaire comprising Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM), Short-form Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran (s-EMBU, a measurement of parental rejection), Moral Self-identity Scale (MSS) and Subjective Poverty in their classrooms. Results showed that paternal rejection, but not maternal rejection, had an indirect negative relationship with prosocial behavior via moral identity. Moreover, subjective poverty moderated the direct relationship between paternal rejection and prosocial behavior as well as the relationship between moral identity and prosocial behavior, though the moderated mediation model was not supported. Specifically, the negative relationship between paternal rejection and prosocial behavior was strengthened when subjective poverty was low. Meanwhile, the positive relationship between moral identity and prosocial behavior was reinforced among adolescents with higher subjective poverty. The findings not only reveal the underlying mechanism of the relationship between parental rejection and prosocial behavior among rural left-behind adolescents but also highlight the necessity of incorporating the effect of subjective poverty.

Sikh parents’ perception on the practice of diverse sexual identities

ABSTRACT This article explores the perspectives of Malaysian Sikh parents on sexual identity and their interpretation of the Guru Granth Sahib. As a minority in a diverse society, their views are significant in understanding global sexual diversity. This study is based on the parental acceptance-rejection theory and utilizes a hybrid strategy to collect data, primarily through questionnaires and interviews. The findings reveal that Sikh parents have uncertainty about natural laws related to sexual orientation and hold misconceptions about non-heterosexual identification. It emphasizes the need to promote awareness, acceptance, and education within religious institutions to combat discrimination and support the well-being of the LGBTQ community.

The relationship between parental neglect and cyberbullying perpetration among Chinese adolescent: The sequential role of cyberbullying victimization and internet gaming disorder.

Cyberbullying perpetration and victimization have been common public health issues that have impaired the development of adolescent physical and mental health. Abundant research has proven associations between negative parental factors and cyberbullying perpetration. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the impact of parental neglect on cyberbullying and its internal mechanisms. Based on the parental acceptance-rejection theory (PARTheory) and the general aggression model (GAM), the present study constructs a sequential mediation model in which parental neglect is related to adolescent cyberbullying perpetration through cyberbullying victimization and internet gaming disorder (IGD). Using random cluster sampling, a total of 699 middle school students (M age = 14.18 years, SD = 1.22, and 324 boys) were recruited from five schools in three provinces on mainland China. The participants completed questionnaires regarding parental neglect, cyberbullying perpetration, cyberbullying victimization, and IGD. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that parental neglect was positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration. The mediating effects of cyberbullying victimization and IGD in this relationship are significant both individually and jointly. The current findings have important implications for enlightening families and schools to pay particular attention to adolescents' experiences of parental neglect and provide them with timely feedback and assistance. This will contribute to the prevention and reduction of adolescent involvement in cyberbullying perpetration.

The Relationship Between Parental Phubbing and Interpersonal Aggression in Adolescents: The Role of Rejection Sensitivity and School Climate.

The impact of parental phubbing has attracted the attention of researchers, especially concerning adolescents' online behavior. However, limited research has studied the influence of parental phubbing on interpersonal aggression, including the underlying mechanism. Grounded in parental acceptance-rejection theory, the present study investigated the association between parental phubbing and interpersonal aggression as well as the mediating role of rejection sensitivity among adolescents. Additionally, school climate was explored as a moderator based on social ecological theory. The multiple questionnaires were completed by 914 Chinese adolescents (M = 12.61; SD = 1.73; 49.78% girls). The results revealed a positive correlation between parental phubbing and aggression, which was mediated by rejection sensitivity. That is, adolescents who experienced parental phubbing were more likely to exhibit rejection sensitivity, which further triggered aggression. Moreover, school climate acted as a moderator in the model. Specifically, we found no significant moderating effect of school climate on parental phubbing and aggression. However, school climate moderated the relationship between rejection sensitivity and aggression. A positive school climate buffered the associations of rejection sensitivity and aggression. Additionally, school climate moderated the relationship between parental phubbing and rejection sensitivity. The relationship between parental phubbing and rejection sensitivity became nonsignificant when adolescents were in a negative school climate, and those adolescents reported higher rejection sensitivity whether they experienced parental phubbing or not. Parental phubbing was more strongly associated with adolescents' rejection sensitivity in a positive school climate. With a lower level of parental phubbing, rejection sensitivity is sharply reduced. The results deepen our understanding of the relationship between parental phubbing and aggression and its underlying mechanisms. It also implicates preventative interventions to reduce the risk of parental phubbing in interpersonal aggression among adolescents.

Parental Warmth and Parent Involvement: Their Relationships to Academic Achievement and Behavior Problems in School and Related Gender Effects

Parent involvement and parental warmth have been extensively studied in the global literature. However, limited research has been conducted on parent involvement and parental warmth in India. This study examined parental warmth and parent involvement as predictors of academic achievement and behavior problems. Because behavior problems scores differed gender, gender differences om these relationships were explored. Study questions were framed in terms of Epstein’s theory of school, family, and community partnerships and Rohner’s parental acceptance-rejection theory. A sample of Indian seventh through tenth graders gave ratings of parental warmth and parent involvement. Their teachers gave ratings of academic achievement and behavior problems. Results showed that parental warmth and parent involvement were significant predictors of academic achievement and behavior problems for boys. Parental warmth was a significant predictor of academic achievement and behavior problems for girls. The results regarding parental warmth supported parental acceptance-rejection theory. Results suggested the need to increase the awareness of the importance of parent involvement for children in India and to continue to support parents in maintaining warm and accepting relationships with their children.

Παρουσία του Πατέρα στην Οικογένεια και Αντιλαμβανόμενη Γονική Αποδοχή-Απόρριψη

Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPAR Theory), recently renamed from Parental Acceptance-Rejection Theory (PART), entails that children react crossculturally with consistence to the types of behavior perceived as “acceptance” and “rejection” primarily by their parents. The majority of studies also showed that the higher degree of father’s presence as caregiver within family, the more children feel to be accepted by both parents (Rohner, 1986). This study explores the relationship between the presence of father as caregiver and the perceived acceptancerejection in childhood, by using the short version of the Adults Parental Acceptance-Rejection/Control questionnaire (Adult PARQ/C. Rohner, 2005. Rohner & Khaleque, 2008). 1117 students from various universities in Athens, Greece and in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina participated in this research. The multivariate analyses of variance findings suggest a fairly strong relationship between maternal and paternal perceived acceptance and father’s physical presence within family activity, as well as his involvement in raising a child duties. These findings are discussed in relation to empirical studies of the international literature of perceived paternal acceptance-rejection.

Parenting styles and children’s sleep quality: Examining the mediating roles of mindfulness and loneliness

BackgroundSleep quality plays a crucial role in children’s physical and mental health. Prior research has documented that parenting styles are closely associated with children’s sleep quality. However, the psychological processes underlying this relationship are less investigated. ObjectiveBased on parental acceptance-rejection theory and the psychobiological inhibition model of insomnia, the current study aimed to examine the mediating roles of mindfulness and loneliness in the associations between parenting styles (i.e., parental warmth and parental rejection) and children’s sleep quality. MethodsA questionnaire survey regarding parenting styles, mindfulness, loneliness, and sleep quality was administered to 475 Chinese children (Mage = 10.68 years, SDage = 1.15). ResultsParental warmth was negatively associated with poor sleep quality, and parental rejection was positively associated with poor sleep quality. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that (a) loneliness, but not mindfulness, mediated the association between parental warmth and children’s sleep quality, and (b) mindfulness and loneliness exerted both unique and sequential mediating effects on the association between parental rejection and children’s sleep quality. ConclusionThese findings shed light on possible mechanisms that can account for the associations between parenting styles and children’s sleep quality, and have implications for intervention strategies aimed at improving children’s sleep quality.

The role of family and personality traits in Internet gaming disorder: A mediation model combining cognitive and attachment perspectives.

Background and aimsGaming disorder was recently recognized as a mental health disorder by the World Health Organization and included in the International Classification of Diseases. Extensive research has been conducted with regard to psychosocial correlates and comorbidity, less so for the developmental mechanisms and the processes leading to the disorder. The association between family factors, personality traits, and gaming has been studied independently but not in combination. To fill this gap in knowledge, this study examined (a) the association between parental acceptance–rejection theory and Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and (b) the mediating and moderating effect of core self-evaluations (CSE), a personality construct, on the aforementioned variables.MethodsThe study was quantitative and involved young adults members of online gaming communities (N = 225).ResultsThe results showed that parental rejection is associated with the occurrence of IGD, only through the mediating effect of CSE. The moderation model was not confirmed.DiscussionFindings bridge early emotional deficits with CSE personality traits and IGD, based on two widely acknowledged theoretical frameworks. In addition, they highlight the importance of the father’s role in upbringing.ConclusionsThese frameworks combine cognitive and attachment perspectives and a process-oriented approach to the development and maintenance of IGD. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to (a) the mechanisms leading to the disorder and (b) providing an evidence base for therapeutic interventions for IGD to go beyond abstinence and include self-esteem enhancement and efficacy contingencies. Directions for future research are also provided in this study.

The Associations between Perceived Parenting Styles, Empathy, and Altruistic Choices in Economic Games: A Study of Chinese Children.

Parenting styles are critical for fostering children’s empathy and prosociality. Yet these relations haven’t been well established for Chinese children, and the underlying mechanisms were seldom explored. Drawing upon parental acceptance-rejection theory and empathy-altruism hypothesis, the objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between perceived parenting styles and altruistic behavior of children, and the intervening role of children’s empathy and the moderating role of in-group and out-group conditions. What is novel about this study is that it contains both survey data and experimental data. Four hundred and ninety-four children (Mage = 8.92 years) completed four simple binary-choice dictator games which are widely used in the study of other-regarding preferences (concerns for the interests of others). These children also reported their perceived parenting styles. And children’s empathy was reported by their mothers. Each child’s altruism score, which was used in the subsequent analyses, was derived from the altruistic choices in these games. Mediation analyses indicated that, when age and gender were controlled for, maternal and paternal emotional warmth were positively associated with children’s altruism via children’s empathy, while maternal and paternal rejection were negatively associated with children’s altruism via children’s empathy. Multi-group analyses showed that the influences of perceived parenting styles on children’s altruistic behavior via children’s empathy were consistent for in-group and out-group conditions. These findings suggest that enhancing parental emotional warmth and reducing parental rejection may foster children’s empathy, which in turn promote children’s altruism. Limitations and future directions of this study were also discussed.

Child Abuse by Parents and Its Influence on the Development of Juvenile Delinquency

The study was focused on parental acceptance/rejection experienced during childhood, as well as its influence on the later delinquent behaviour. We tried to answer which particular instances of parental behaviour differentiate juvenile delinquents from lawabiding adolescents. The starting point for this research was Rohner Parental acceptance-rejection theory (PARTheory). We aimed to test the hypothesis that perceived rejection has a strong impact on the development of an aberrant behaviour in children. The research was carried out on a sample of 265 adolescents composing 2 independent groups: one consisted of 115 under-age delinquents (experimental), and the other included 150 lawabiding adolescents (control). Basing on the results of examination of the parental behaviour, we found that these two groups had more differences than similarities. Father's neglect was proved to be the major difference beetween the groups. Besides that, significant differentiating factors were: manipulativity (verbal aggression) and physical abuse of the children (both parents).

Characteristics for the Identification of Children Who Commit Family Murder in South Africa.

Children who commit family murder have been increasingly reported on in the South African media. Violence of this type has far-reaching consequences for families and communities. In this qualitative study, nine documented cases of children who committed family murder were analyzed to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors that contribute to children murdering family members. The personal and systemic reasons for these types of murders guided the research. The Interpersonal Parental Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory) was used as theoretical framework. The researcher argues that the quality of the interaction between the parent and the child, as well as individual differences within a specific environment, is central to committing family member murder. A narrative summary of the general characteristics of children who kill a family member was compiled. In this study, the children were predominantly exposed to dysfunctional family environments characterized by problematic attachment to the caregiver/s, rejection, abuse, and extreme parenting styles. The parenting styles were often extremely authoritarian or in some cases permissive. The caregivers often expected the child to conform to their idea of the ideal child, and nonconformance resulted in punishment and rejection. These children presented with interpersonal relationship problems, anxiety, and aggression, and fantasized about escaping their challenging home environments. In some of the cases, the children abused alcohol and drugs. In only a few of the cases, signs of antisocial personality disorder were present. The family murders committed by children were predominantly committed by males. The weapons used in the murders were often everyday objects available in the environment. In this study, it was important to note that children who commit family murder have unique backgrounds and circumstances. Therefore, the characteristics discussed in this article only serve as a guideline to understanding these children.

Early Adolescents’ Unique Perspectives of Maternal and Paternal Rejection: Examining Their Across-Dyad Generalizability and Relations with Adjustment 1 Year Later

Parental rejection is linked to deep and enduring adjustment problems during adolescence. This study aims to further clarify this relation by demonstrating what has long been posited by parental acceptance/rejection theory but never validated empirically-namely that adolescents' unique or subjective experience of parental rejection independently informs their future adjustment. Among a longitudinal, multi-informant sample of 161 families (early adolescents were 47% female and 40% European American) this study utilized a multitrait-multimethod confirmatory factor analysis to isolate for each early adolescent-parent dyad, the adolescent's distinct view of parental rejection (i.e., the adolescent unique perspective) from the portion of his or her view that overlaps with his or her parent's view. The findings indicated that adolescents' unique perspectives of maternal rejection were not differentiated from their unique perspectives of paternal rejection. Also, consistent with parental acceptance-rejection theory, early adolescents' unique perspectives of parental rejection were associated with worse adjustment (internalizing and externalizing) 1year later. This study further demonstrates the utility and validity of the multitrait-multimethod confirmatory factor analysis approach for identifying and examining adolescent unique perspectives. Both conceptually and analytically, this study also integrates research focused on unique perspectives with a distinct but related line of research focused on discrepancies in perspectives.

Pancultural Gender Differences in the Relation Between Perceived Parental Acceptance and Psychological Adjustment of Children and Adult Offspring

This cross-cultural meta-analysis is based on 220 studies involving 33,081 respondents from 23 nations across five continents. The study addressed a major question drawn from the basic postulates of interpersonal acceptance–rejection theory (IPARTheory): Is the psychological adjustment of both males and females universally (i.e., panculturally) associated with children’s and adults’ perceptions of both maternal and paternal acceptance in childhood? To remain true to the major postulates of IPARTheory (formerly known as parental acceptance–rejection theory, PARTheory), all studies included in this meta-analysis used the Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire for Mothers and Fathers (Child and Adult PARQ: Mother and Father versions), as well as the Personality Assessment Questionnaire (Child and Adult versions). Results showed that both paternal and maternal acceptance correlate significantly with the psychological adjustment of both children and adults across all cultures. The study also showed that there are no gender differences in the relation between children’s perception of parental acceptance and their psychological adjustment. However, remembrances of maternal acceptance in childhood showed significantly stronger relations with adult sons’ current psychological adjustment than that of adult daughters. Moreover, remembrances of paternal acceptance in childhood were found to have significantly stronger relations with adult daughters’ psychological adjustment than did daughters’ remembrances of maternal acceptance.

Parental Power and Prestige Moderate the Relationship Between Perceived Parental Acceptance and Offspring’s Psychological Adjustment

Drawing stimulus from parental acceptance–rejection theory (PARTheory), which postulates a pancultural association between perceptions of parental acceptance–rejection and offspring’s (children’s and adults’) psychological adjustment, this article describes the International Father Acceptance–Rejection Project along with the results of 13 studies in 11 nations. These studies not only test this postulate but also more importantly explore the question of whether offspring’s perceptions of parental power and parental prestige tend to moderate the relationship between perceived parental acceptance and offspring adjustment. This question derives from the fact that offspring’s perceptions of their fathers’ acceptance sometimes have a greater impact on the psychological adjustment of youth than do offspring’s perceptions of their mothers’ acceptance. Sometimes, however, offspring’s perceptions of their mothers’ acceptance have a greater impact on adjustment than do offspring’s perceptions of their fathers’ acceptance. And sometimes there is no significant difference in the impact of one parent’s acceptance versus the other parent’s. This much is known. But what is not known is, Why or under what conditions do the love-related behaviors of one parent have a greater impact on the adjustment than the love-related behaviors of the other parent? Results of research described in this Special Issue point in the direction of one class of conditions that helps to answer this question.

Perceived Parental Neglect, and Children’s Psychological Maladjustment, and Negative Personality Dispositions: A Meta-analysis of Multi-cultural Studies

The objective of this meta-analysis is to address three questions drawn from one of the basic postulates of parental acceptance–rejection theory: (1) To what extent is children’s perceptions of parental indifference/neglect related to their psychological maladjustment? (2) To what extent is children’s perceptions of parental indifference/neglect related to their negative personality dispositions? (3) Do relations found in these questions vary by the gender of parents? The meta-analysis was based on 33 studies from 15 countries on four continents involving 11,755 children (52 % boys and 48 % girls). All studies included in the meta-analysis, used child versions of the Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire for Mothers and for Fathers, as well as the child version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire. Results showed that perceived maternal and paternal indifference/neglect correlated significantly with the psychological maladjustment and negative personality dispositions of children across ethnicities, cultures, and geographical boundaries. There were no significant differences between the effect sizes of perceived maternal and paternal indifference/neglect on either psychological maladjustment, or negative personality dispositions of children.

A Preliminary Study on Relationship between Warmth Parenting and Self-esteem among Young Adults based on Parental Acceptance-rejection Theory

A Preliminary Study on Relationship between Warmth Parenting and Self-esteem among Young Adults based on Parental Acceptance-rejection Theory

P.1.a.018 The role of gene-environment (G×E), haplotypic and main effect of argininevasopressin and oxytocin receptor genes in personality traits

Sleep quality plays a crucial role in children’s physical and mental health. Prior research has documented that parenting styles are closely associated with children’s sleep quality. However, the psychological processes underlying this relationship are less investigated.Based on parental acceptance-rejection theory and the psychobiological inhibition model of insomnia, the current study aimed to examine the mediating roles of mindfulness and loneliness in the associations between parenting styles (i.e., parental warmth and parental rejection) and children’s sleep quality.A questionnaire survey regarding parenting styles, mindfulness, loneliness, and sleep quality was administered to 475 Chinese children (Mage = 10.68 years, SDage = 1.15).Parental warmth was negatively associated with poor sleep quality, and parental rejection was positively associated with poor sleep quality. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that (a) loneliness, but not mindfulness, mediated the association between parental warmth and children’s sleep quality, and (b) mindfulness and loneliness exerted both unique and sequential mediating effects on the association between parental rejection and children’s sleep quality.These findings shed light on possible mechanisms that can account for the associations between parenting styles and children’s sleep quality, and have implications for intervention strategies aimed at improving children’s sleep quality.

Effects of Marital Distress on Turkish Adolescents’ Psychological Adjustment

This research explores the effects of parental marital distress on Turkish adolescents’ psychological adjustment, as mediated by adolescents’ perceptions of maternal and paternal acceptance–rejection. This issue has generated considerable interest within the United States, but only recently internationally. The study draws from a sample of 180 12- through 18-year-old Turkish adolescents (94 females and 86 males; mean age of 16 years) and their parents. Assessments of the level of husbands’ and wives’ marital distress were made using the Turkish language version of the Intimate Partner Acceptance–Rejection/Control Questionnaire IPAR/CQ. Adolescents’ perceptions of the level of parental acceptance were made using the mother and father forms of the Child Parental Acceptance–Rejection/Control Questionnaire. Adolescents’ psychological adjustment was assessed using the child version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire. Mediation analyses revealed that adolescents’ perceptions of both maternal and paternal acceptance mediated the relationship between the adolescents’ (both sons’ and daughters’) psychological adjustment and wives’ perceptions of their husbands’ acceptance. Thus, the spillover hypothesis was partially supported as was one of the central postulates of parental acceptance–rejection theory.