Perceived parental acceptance-rejection and communal responsiveness in romantic relationship : the mediating effect of attachment security and trait self-objectification

Abstract

Intergenerational transmission of positive interpersonal relationships is a new area of research in the field of developmental psychology, and hence the present study looked into how particular parental practices would lead to the development of certain interpersonal skills in offspring. To be more specific, the present study investigated how perceived parental acceptance in childhood would affect individuals’ perception of romantic partner responsiveness in adulthood, as well as the roles of two mediators — attachment security and trait self-objectification. By surveying 143 Hong Kong Chinese adults who were currently in a committed monogamous relationship, our results indicated higher perceived maternal acceptance would lead to higher perceived partner responsiveness in romantic relationships, and trait self-objectification was found to be a significant mediator for the direct association. On the other hand, higher perceived paternal acceptance would lead to lower perceived partner responsiveness, and attachment insecurity, including both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, was found to be a significant mediator. The practical implications of the research findings on parental practices were discussed, followed by the limitations of the present study and the future research directions.