A Comparative Analysis of Maternal and Paternal Acceptance–Rejection: Examining Parent Gender Differences through PARQ

Abstract

Parental acceptance and rejection play a significant role in shaping the emotional and psychological development of individuals. The present study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of parental acceptance and rejection as experienced from mothers and fathers, and to examine whether there are differences in perceived acceptance and rejection based on the parent's gender.  The data was collected by the 200 participant from Hyderabad region. The Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) was used in this study through which participants' perceptions regarding their parents' warmth/affection, hostility/aggression, indifference/neglect, and undifferentiated rejection were assessed. The study specifically compared participants' perceptions of acceptance and rejection experienced from mothers and fathers. The collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques, including Paired-sample t-test and Independent-sample t-tests to compare the PARQ scores for mothers and fathers. The results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the parental acceptance and rejection experienced from mothers and fathers. These findings highlight the importance of equally considering an individual's relationships with both the mother and the father when assessing parental acceptance–rejection. Overall, the present study contributes to a better understanding of potential differences in acceptance–rejection based on parental gender and offers valuable insights for researchers and professionals working in the fields of family relationships and psychological well-being.