Effects of Parental Acceptance-Rejection on Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors: A Longitudinal, Multicultural Study

Authors

W. Andrew Rothenberg, Duke UniversityFollow
Sumbleen Ali, The State University of New York College at Oneonta
Ronald P. Rohner, University of Connecticut
Jennifer E. Lansford, Duke UniversityFollow
Preston A. Britner, University of Connecticut
Laura Di Giunta, University of Rome La SapienzaFollow
Kenneth A. Dodge, Duke UniversityFollow
Patrick S. Malone, Duke UniversityFollow
Paul Obru, Maseno University
Concetta Pastorelli, University of Rome La SapienzaFollow
Ann T. Skinner, Duke UniversityFollow
Emma Sorbing, University WestFollow
Laurence Steinberg, Temple UniversityFollow
Sombat Tapanya, Chiang Mai UniversityFollow
Liliana Maria Uribe Tirado, Universidad San BuenaventuraFollow
Saengduean Yotanyamaneewong, Chiang Mai University
Liane Peña Alampay, Ateneo de Manila UniversityFollow
Suha M. Al-Hassan, Hashemite UniversityFollow
Dario Bacchini, University of Naples Federico IIFollow
Marc H. Bornstein, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, USAFollow
Lei Chang, University of MacauFollow
Kirby Deater-Deckard, University of Massachusetts AmherstFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-25-2021

Abstract

Grounded in Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory, this study assessed children’s (N = 1315) perceptions of maternal and paternal acceptance-rejection in nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States) as predictors of children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors across ages 7–14 years. Parenting behaviors were measured using children’s reports on the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire. Child externalizing and internalizing behaviors were measured using mother, father, and child reports on the Achenbach System of Empirically-Based Assessment. Using a multilevel modeling framework, we found that in cultures where both maternal and paternal indifference/neglect scores were higher than average–compared to other cultures–children’s internalizing problems were more persistent. At the within-culture level, all four forms of maternal and paternal rejection (i.e., coldness/lack of affection, hostility/aggression, indifference/neglect, and undifferentiated rejection) were independently associated with either externalizing and internalizing problems across ages 7–14 even after controlling for child gender, parent education, and each of the four forms of parental rejection. Results demonstrate that the effects of perceived parental acceptance-rejection are panculturally similar.

Recommended Citation

Rothenberg, W. A., Ali, S., Rohner, R. P., Lansford, J. E., Britner, P. A., Di Giunta, L., Dodge, K. A., Malone, P. S., Oburu, P., Pastorelli, C., Skinner, A. T., Sorbring, E., Steinberg, L., Tapanya, S., Tirado, L. M. U., Yotanyamaneewong, S., Alampay, L. P., Al-Hassan, S. M., Bacchini, D., … Deater-Deckard, K. (2021). Effects of parental acceptance-rejection on children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors: A longitudinal, multicultural study. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 31(1), 29–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02072-5