Parental alienation, authoritarian parenting, and their effects on attitudes in alienated children
Date
2021
Authors
Saunders, Luke, author
Harman, Jennifer, advisor
Rhodes, Matt, committee member
Saunders, Kyle, committee member
Tompkins, Sara Anne, committee member
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Abstract
Research has yet to investigate the attitudes of alienated children other than that of the valences towards their parents. The present study investigated the relationship between parental alienating behaviors (PABs), authoritarian parenting style, and their possible effects on attitudes in children who have been alienated from a parent by another. Participants enrolled in introductory psychology courses (n = 656) were recruited to participate in an online, self-report survey that measured indicators of parental alienation, authoritarian attitudes, prejudicial attitudes, need for closure, splitting, and retrospective ratings of parenting styles and PABs. Results indicated that alienated children did not score significantly higher than children who were not alienated on authoritarian attitudes, and that splitting was not a significant mediator in this relationship. However, results showed a significant relationship between PABs and authoritarian parenting, and a significant correlation between splitting and need for closure. Future research should further investigate attitudes in alienated children.
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Subject
authoritarianism
parenting styles
social psychology
parental alienation
authoritarian parenting
political psychology