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Intergenerational links and positive self-cognitions: Parental correlates of optimism, learned resourcefulness, and self-evaluation

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Abstract

In a cross-sectional study of undergraduates and their parents we investigated parental correlates of three types of positive cognition related to mental and physical health outcomes: optimism, learned resourcefulness, and positive self-evaluation. The correlates were parental self-cognitions, parental approval and disapproval, and offspring's perception of parental approval and disapproval. Intergenerational effects were observed for learned resourcefulness and positive self-evaluation, but not for optimism. More parental approval was related to more positive self-attitudes in the offspring. For mothers, but not fathers, these relations were mediated by offspring's perceptions.

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Brewin, C.R., Andrews, B. & Furnham, A. Intergenerational links and positive self-cognitions: Parental correlates of optimism, learned resourcefulness, and self-evaluation. Cogn Ther Res 20, 247–263 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02229236

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