Intergenerational transmission of perceived maternal acceptance and psychological adjustment in children

Abstract

This thesis explores the mediating role of mothers’ current acceptance of their offspring on the relationship between mothers’ own remembered maternal acceptance and these offspring’s perceived maternal acceptance. It examines which factors predict offspring’s psychological adjustment and whether this prediction changes according to the gender of offspring. The sample consisted of 223 mother offspring dyads. The Adult, Parent and Child versions of the Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were utilized. The results indicated that mothers’ current acceptance of their offspring had a full mediating role on the relationship between their remembered maternal acceptance and these offspring’s perceived maternal acceptance, regardless of the gender of the offspring. Offspring’s perceived maternal acceptance was the only unique contributor to variability in difficulties score, and the strongest contributor among all variables to variability in strengths score. While offspring’s perceived maternal acceptance contributed to their difficulties scores regardless of gender, the correlation between offspring’s perceived maternal acceptance and strengths (prosocial behaviors) was higher for males than females. In conclusion, intervention and prevention practices in individual and family counseling might focus on resolving mothers’ remembered maternal acceptance concerns in order to improve their relationship with the next generation. Gender of the offspring might be considered especially while working on the development of offspring’s prosocial behaviors.