Intimate Partner Acceptance,Parental Acceptance,Behavioral Control,and Psychological Adjustment Among Finnish Adults in Ongoing Attachment Relationships

Abstract

This study explored gender differences in relations among perceived parental (maternal and paternal) acceptance and behavioral control, perceived partner acceptance and behavioral control, and psychological adjustment in 166 university students in Finland. Results showed significant positive correlations between men's and women's psychological adjustment and perceived partner acceptance as well as remembrances of both maternal and paternal acceptance in childhood. The single exception to this conclusion was the nonsignificant correlation between psychological adjustment and men's perceptions of their intimate partners' acceptance. In addition, neither partners' nor parents' behavioral control was significantly correlated with the psychological adjustment of either men or women. Accordingly, behavioral control was dropped from further analyses. Multiple regression analyses showed that only remembrances of fathers' acceptance in childhood were associated significantly with men's psychological adjustment. For women, however, both partner acceptance and remembered paternal acceptance (but not maternal acceptance) were uniquely and independently associated with psychological adjustment.

Keywords

intimate partner perceived acceptance behavioral control psychological adjustment Finland

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