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Parental rearing behaviour and personality characteristics of depressed patients

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Summary

Within the framework of a large and ongoing study of depression in its biological, clinical, psychological and social aspects, 141 patients of both sexes in the age range 21 to 65 years participated in a study of parental rearing practices and personality characteristics. The perceived parental rearing behaviour was assessed by means of a specially constructed inventory (EMBU), and the personality characteristics by means of a Swedish personality inventory, the KSP, which had previously been shown to measure relatively stable personality characteristics.

Several important correlations emerged between parental rearing practices and personality traits. In particular, power assertive practices and psychological types of discipline (shaming, guilt-engendering) showed significant correlations with aspects of aggression and significant negative correlations with socialization. There was a good agreement between male and female patients in the judgement of the rearing behaviour of their fathers. However, female patients scored their mother as more abusive, whereas male patients scored them as more over-protective. On the whole, the rearing practices of the mothers were judged more negatively than those of the fathers. The findings of this study appear to be consistent with earlier results reported by other authors.

Zusammenfassung

Im Rahmen einer Depressionsstudie wurde bei 141 Patienten nach Abklingen der depressiven Phase der Zusammenhang zwischen dem Erziehungsstil der Eltern und den Persönlichkeitseigenschaften der Patienten untersucht. Der Erziehungsstil wurde von den Patienten retrospektiv mit dem EMBU-Fragebogen beurteilt, während die Persönlichkeit mittels dem schwedischen Persönlichkeitsfragebogen KSP erfaßt wurde.

Es ergaben sich mehrere bedeutsame Korrelationen zwischen elterlichen Erziehungsstilen und Persönlichkeitszügen. Insbesondere zeigten gewaltbejahende Praktiken und psychologische Disziplinierungsmaßnahmen (zum Schämen bringen, Schuldgefühle erzeugend) signifikante Korrelationen zu Aspekten der Aggression und signifikante negative Korrelationen zur Sozialisationsskala. Männliche und weibliche Patienten beurteilten das Erziehungsverhalten der Väter ähnlich. Die Mütter wurden dagegen von den weiblichen Patienten eher als mißhandelnd, von den männlichen Patienten dagegen eher als übermäßig beschützend eingestuft.

Im ganzen gesehen wurde das Erziehungsverhalten der Mütter im Vergleich zu dem der Väter, negativer beurteilt. Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung stimmen mit früheren Untersuchungen anderer Verfasser überein.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Umeå University, S-90185, Umeå, Sweden

    C. Perris, M. Eisemann, U. Ericsson, L. von Knorring & H. Perris

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  1. C. Perris
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  2. M. Eisemann
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  3. U. Ericsson
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  4. L. von Knorring
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  5. H. Perris
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Supported (in part) by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council (grant nos. 21X-5244 and 21P-5740)

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Perris, C., Eisemann, M., Ericsson, U. et al. Parental rearing behaviour and personality characteristics of depressed patients. Arch Psychiatr Nervenkr 233, 77–88 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00343429

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00343429

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