Parental Relationship and Psychological Development of the Child

The study examined the effects of parents' mutual relations and their attitudes on psychological development of the child. The sample of the present investigation consisted of adolescents in the age range 14-16 years. The subjects were selected from three different family structures, viz., both­ parent families (n = 90); step-parent families (n = 45) and single-parent families (n = 45). Parental Acceptance- Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) was used to assess parental attitudes towards Ss when they were between seven and twelve yean of age. Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ) was used to assess subjects' perceptions of their own personality and behavioral dispositions. Significant differences in parental attitudes exist between both-parent families and step-parent families but no such difference appears between both-parent families and single-parent (broken) families. Compared to well adjusted and broken families Ss in step-parent families have more negative perceptions of their personality dispositions as measured by PAQ. The findings of the present research are consistent with Rohner's parental acceptance-rejection theory (1975).