The Effects of Past Parental and Maternal Rejection in Childhood on Adults' Current Psychological Maladjustments: ACorrelational and Comparative Study

This study investigatedperceived parental and maternal rejection (hostility \ aggression, indifference/neglect, and undifferentiated rejection), as experienced and remembered by adults, andits relationships totheir current depression, anxiety and stress symptoms.In order to assess adults' perceptions of the degree of parental and maternal rejection received during childhood,asampleof two hundred and ninety-five( n= 295) adults  in Kuwait from six Kuwaiti governerates completed the Arabic version of the adultsParental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ)Father &Mother versions, developed by (Rohner,Saaverda, & Granum, 1980)standardized inArabic by Salama (1986a). In addition, theDepression- Anxiety- Stress Scales-42(DASS-42) developed by Lovibond, and Lovibond (1995a) a version modified by, Lovibond, and Laube(2001)standardized in Arabic by,Moussawas used.The results indicated that males recalled their fathers' aggression and hostility and undifferentiated rejection more than females. In addition, perceivedpaternal rejection was found to be more influential than perceived maternal rejection. Moreover, the results indicated that there were low to moderate correlations between adults' currentfeelings of depression, anxiety, and stress with parental \maternal rejection. The findings recommend parents to modify their parenting styles to alleviatefuture psychological maladjustmentsin their children. In addition, this study provides some insight into the impact of perceived parental rejection on future psychological maladjustment in children.