Abstract
The present study explored relations among remembered parental (paternal and maternal) acceptance in childhood, spouse acceptance and psychological adjustment of adults. It also explored whether remembered childhood experiences of parental acceptance mediate the relation between perceived spouse acceptance and psychological adjustment. The sample consisted of 354 married adult men (178) and women (176). Results showed that the more accepting both men and women perceived their spouses to be, the better was their psychological adjustment. Similarly, the more accepting both men and women remembered their parents had been to them during childhood, the better was their psychological adjustment. Standard multiple regression analyses revealed that paternal acceptance mediated the relation between perceived spouse acceptance and the psychological adjustment of both men and women. In addition, remembered maternal acceptance mediated the relation between men’s (but not women’s) perceived spouse acceptance and psychological adjustment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cassidy, J., & Shaver, P. R. (Eds.). (1999). Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications. New York: The Guilford Press.
Chowdhury, B. H. (2004). Women’s status in Bangladesh: A suggested framework for analysis. Empowerment, 11, 1–10.
Chowdhury, M. K., & Bairagi, R. (1990). Sex preference and fertility in Bangladesh. Population and Development Review, 16, 749–757.
Cramer, D., & Donachie, M. (1999). Psychological health and change in closeness in platonic and romantic relationships. The Journal of Social Psychology, 139, 762–767.
Khaleque, A. (2004). Intimate adult relationships, quality of life and psychological adjustment. Social Indicators Research, 69, 351–360.
Khaleque, A. (2007, September). Parental acceptance-rejection theory: Beyond parent-child relationships. Interpersonal Acceptance, 1(2). Retrieved from www.isipar.org/Newsletter.html.
Khaleque, A., & Rohner, R. P. (2002). Perceived parental acceptance-rejection and psychological adjustment: A meta-analysis of cross-cultural and intracultural studies. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 54–64.
Khaleque, A. Rohner, R. P., & Shirin, A. (2010, July). Relations among perceived parental power-prestige, acceptance, and psychological adjustment of Bangladeshi adults. Paper presented at the Third international Congress on Interpersonal Acceptance and Rejection, Padua, Italy.
Mahtab, N. (2007). Women in Bangladesh: From inequality to empowerment. Kansas City: A F Development Publishing House.
Mudar, P., Leonard, K. E., & Soltysinski, K. (2001). Discrepant substance use and marital functioning in newlywed couples. Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 130–134.
Parmar, P., & Rohner, R. P. (2005). Relations among perceived intimate partner acceptance, remembered parental acceptance, and psychological adjustment among young adults in India. Ethos, 33, 402–413.
Parmer, P., & Rohner, R. P. (2008). Relations among spouse acceptance, remembered parental acceptance in childhood, and psychological adjustment among married adults in India. Cross-Cultural Research, 42, 57.
Rohner, R. P. (1980). Worldwide tests of parental acceptance-rejection theory: An overview. Behavior Science Research, 15, 1–21.
Rohner, R. P. (1986). The warmth dimension: Foundations of parental acceptance-rejection theory. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Rohner, R. P. (1998). Father love and child development: History and current evidence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 7, 157–161.
Rohner, R. P. (2005). Intimate partner acceptance-rejection/control questionnaire (IPAR/CQ): Test manual. In R. P. Rohner & A. Khaleque (Eds.), Handbook for the study of parental acceptance and rejection (pp. 227–242). Storrs, CT: Rohner Research Publications.
Rohner, R. P., & Khaleque, A. (Eds.). (2005). Handbook for the study of parental acceptance and rejection (4th ed.). Storrs, CT: Rohner Research Publications.
Rohner, R. P., & Khaleque, A. (2008). Relations between perceived partner and parental acceptance. In J. K. Quinn & I. G. Zambini (Eds.), Family relations: 21st century issues and challenges (pp. 187–197). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
Rohner, R. P., Khaleque, A., & Cournoyer, D. E. (2011). Parental acceptance-rejection theory, methods, evidence, and implications. Retrieved June 2, 2011, from University of Connecticut.
Schwartz, S. J., Zamoanga, B. L., Revert, R. D., Kim, S. Y., Weisskirch, R. S., Williams, M. K., et al. (2009). Perceived parental relationships and health-risk behaviors in college-attending emerging adults. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 727–740.
Uchino, B. N., Cacioppo, J. T., & Kielcolt-Glaser, J. K. (1996). The relationship between social support and physiological process: A review with emphasis on underlying mechanisms and implications for health. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 488–531.
Veneziano, R. A. (2000). Perceived paternal and maternal acceptance and rural African American and European American youths’ psychological adjustment. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 123–132.
Veneziano, R. A. (2003). The importance of paternal warmth. Cross-Cultural Research, 37, 265–281.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Khaleque, A., Shirin, A. & Uddin, M.K. Attachment Relationships and Psychological Adjustment of Married Adults. Soc Indic Res 110, 237–244 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-011-9926-2
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-011-9926-2