This study assesses interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory’s (IPARTheory’s) prediction that adults’ (both men’s and women’s) remembrances of parental (both maternal and paternal) rejection in childhood are likely to be associated with adults’ fear of intimacy, as mediated by adults’ psychological maladjustment and relationship anxiety. The study also assesses the prediction that these associations will not vary significantly by gender, ethnicity, language, culture, or other such defining conditions. To test these predictions a sample of 3,483 young adults in 13 nations responded to the mother and father versions of the Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (short forms), Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (short form), the Interpersonal Relationship Anxiety Questionnaire, the Fear of Intimacy Scale, and the Revised Personal Information Form. Results of multigroup analyses showed that adults’ remembrances of both maternal and paternal rejection in childhood independently predicted men’s and women’s fear of intimacy in all 13 countries. However, remembered maternal rejection was a significantly stronger predictor of adults’ fear of intimacy than was remembered paternal rejection. Results also confirmed the prediction in all 13 countries and across both genders that both maternal and paternal rejection independently predicted adults’ psychological maladjustment and relationship anxiety, which in turn predicted fear of intimacy. In addition, psychological maladjustment partially mediated the relation between remembrances of maternal and paternal rejection, and adults’ fear of intimacy in all 13 countries and both genders.
Although parental psychological control has been consistently linked with negative outcomes in the child and adolescent literature, little is known about how it functions during the developmental time frame of emerging adulthood, which is characterized by increased freedom and instability. Consequently, this study examined the extent to which paternal and maternal psychological controls were directly and indirectly (via self-esteem) related to hallmarks of emerging adult adjustment, notably risky behaviors, life satisfaction, and feelings about adulthood status. Recruited via MTurk, participants were 310 emerging adults ( M age = 25.37; 56% female) across the U.S. who completed an online survey. Results revealed paternal psychological control had a direct effect on risky behaviors and self-esteem, whereas maternal psychological control solely had a direct effect on risky behaviors. Results also indicated indirect effects of paternal psychological control. Increases in paternal psychological control were linked to declines in self-esteem, which in turn was associated with decreased life satisfaction and endorsement of adulthood status. Altogether, findings suggest that even low levels of parental psychological control were linked to detrimental outcomes in an age-representative sample—encompassing the full age range of emerging adulthood from 18 years to 29 years—of emerging adults. Thus, findings contribute to a better understanding of parent–child relationships and the consequences of parental control during the third decade of life, which has important implications for informing parenting strategies across emerging adulthood.
As I write these lines, Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research has fully transitioned to the editorial stew ardship of Dr. Debi Brannan. It is a bittersweet time; I treasured deeply the tasks of editing the Psi Chi Journal. For nearly 5 years, I benefitted from reading cuttingedge research in broad topics across psy chology. I was inspired by the knowledge that most of the authors were upandcoming researchers whose sense of efficacy could be nurtured through a positive publication experience. I reveled in the beauty of watching undergraduate and graduate researchers shine, faculty mentors nurture our next generation of researchers, and colleagues support Psi Chi Journal authors in putting forth the best possible work. I retain a sense of awe at watching a community of scholars seamlessly collaborate for the greater good of science and psychology. I step down with a sense of having gained much more than I contributed. This editorial summarizes the road we-the editorial team-traveled during my years as editor of this fine Journal. The Journal edito rial team accomplishments since November of 2011 and until July of 2016 included advances in both structure and function of the Journal. Psi Chi Journal's notable changes in the 2011-16 period include a name change, expansion of author submissions, a shift from paper to online submis sions, and indexing in EBSCO Academic Search Complete and PsycINFO. We also created a Google Scholar profile. These changes were intended to increase the visibility, and thus impact, of Psi Chi Journal in the field. Increasing author submissions would allow us to increase the selectivity of pub lished works. Increased visibility through indexing increases the probability of citation. Google Scholar allowed us to track the impact of specific articles and to calculate an h index for the Journal. At the time of this printing, the h index for the Journal was WINTER 2016 PSI CHI JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
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