Perceived Parental Attitudes and Demographic Variables as Related to Maladjustment

Abstract

The relative contribution of perceived parental attitudes and of demographic variables to student maladjustment was investigated in 80 Ss who attended a college offering majors in the performing arts. As predicted the perception of parents as encouraging independence was negatively associated with maladjustment and better predicted maladjustment in the students than did the 7 demographic variables employed. Factor analysis identified 4 parental attitudinal patterns: mother's trust in S's judgment, father's trust in S's judgment, parental encouragement of independent living, and parental encouragement of independent effort. Although the joint father and mother attitude encouraging independent living was significant, it was the father's trust in the student's judgment which was found to be most important to the student's adjustment.