PERCEIVED FATHERS ACCEPTANCE-REJECTION AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN ADOLESCENCE: A GENDER-BASED COMPARISON

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Dr. Sadaf Hafeez Chohan1*, Dr. Hina Ayaz Habib2

1*Assistant Professor Ziauddin University Clifton Campus, Karachi, Pakistan

2Assistant Professor Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of Karachi, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Background of the Study: Parental figures have a crucial role in the event of the youngsters via “rearing and nurturing”; providing them well in time care, become role models for them so that children can learn to survive independently successfully. Parents significantly impact their children’s social development, particularly the interactions they form with those in their immediate social circle. This study aims to see if there is a link between teenagers’ emotional intelligence and their perceptions of their fathers. Psychological studies show that fathers significantly impact a child’s development.

Methodology: A correlational study was undertaken at various private schools in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 600 pupils were contacted, 300 of whom were boys and 300 of whom were girls mean age of 14±1.15. Petrides’ Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire for Adolescents (TEIQue-ASF) and Rohner’s Parental Acceptance and Rejection Questionnaire P.A.R.Q. were utilized to collect data (Father Short Form).

Results: Data was handled using descriptive statistics and the t-test in S.P.S.S. The gap in emotional intelligence between boys and girls was discovered to be statistically significant as girls who perceived their fathers as approving (142 + 19.71 ) were found to be higher on the variable of emotional intelligence as compared to the scores of boys who perceived their fathers as approving (139 + 17.61).In the meantime, the difference in emotional intelligence between girls and boys who believe their father rejects them is vanishingly negligible as (132.67 + 16.94) and (139 + 17.61), respectively.

Conclusion: According to a study, adolescents who believe their father approves of them have higher emotional intelligence (E.I.) than those who believe otherwise.

Keywords:  Parental acceptance-rejection, emotional intelligence, adolescents, gender variation, disparities, psychological wellbeing.

Introduction

Since physical energy and growth are typically at their highest during adolescence, it is often referred to as a stressful or stormy time. Previously, research revealed that the quality of the “parent-child bond” in children’s early years significantly impacted their later lives1. There are disparities for girls and boys regarding expectations and opportunities; the world contracts for the girls and expands for the boys2. On the other hand, boys enjoy “autonomy, mobility, opportunity, and power” compared to girls, who are systematically deprived of these resources. Thus, boys benefit from privileges reserved for males; however, girls bear limitations and restrictions for females3. Adolescents need security and support to discover themselves; thus, in the absence of an affectionate familial relationship, the development of psychological wellbeing may be challenging. A parent-child attachment is linked with the successful development of different abilities in children, like decision-making, self-esteem, and self-efficacy4, 5.

PAR Theory

“Parental acceptance-rejection” is a famous theory of socialization given by Rohner, which explains, predicts, and describes the consequences of parental behavior upon the psychological wellbeing of their offspring6. Effects of “parental acceptance-rejection” have been revealed via several problems related to psychological wellbeing, including the social development of children7. Likewise, Venezolano revealed the effects of “father’s acceptance,” which notably showed links to the “self-reported psychological adjustment” in both African Americans and European participants7″.

Researchers have been studying the effects of relationships between mother and child8. Father figures were mostly considered at the periphery of children’s lives and thus had little importance in their development9. Recent studies have revealed that children’s psychological “well adjustments” their more inclination towards better performances at school, more warm and healthy relationships, and less inclination towards acts of antisocial, where the fathers’ have marked involvement in the lives of the children10. Thus, it can be said that healthy and meaningful participation and “nurturance” from the fathers’ sides are positively linked to their children regarding not only their intellects but “internal locus of control,” social competence, and an ability to “empathize” 11. The Personality and Attachment Resilience (PAR) Theory is a framework for understanding the interplay between an individual’s internal experiences and their external social context, and how the two influence one another and shape the way both individuals and adolescents grow and mature. Many people believe that the above-mentioned causes of serious psychiatric and behavioral illnesses can be diagnosed and treated using the PAR theory. There is a growing body of research supporting the use of the PAR theory in a variety of contexts, including Pakistan, to identify mental blocks and the factors that contribute to them6.In one study, children of single parents are at risk for antisocial acts like “deviant behavior” and “delinquency” in the future. They are also more prone to quit school and give childbirths without marriage12, 13 14.  On the contrary, some other researchers suggest that the nonexistence of a father figure has not a marked impact on children once the factors of economic hardships are controlled 15. However some other research revealed that even with satisfactory financial conditions, the absences of male parents is still associated with the high possibility of different problems in children16. For several years the term “emotional intelligence” has received significant attention to understand and predict the performances of individuals at school, at work, and home.

I.P.A.R. Theory

The I.P.A.R. Theory is a straightforward approach to linking interpersonal approbation and dismissal in the real world. Since the early 1960s, the emphasis has changed to approving of perceived parental approval-dismissal throughout infancy, adolescence, and adulthood. This process began with the parental acceptance-rejection theory (P.A.R. Theory), which grew into a more extensive, more thoughtful basis that led to P.A.R. Theory’s modern definition, I.P.A.R. Theory17. I.P.A.R. Theory separates vital elements of research into five classes, each further divided into three sub-theories17. I.P.A.R. Theory extends to the older P.A.R. theory, which studied children’s perceptions of parental acceptance-rejection. There are four components in this scale to measure acceptance-rejection. Warmth/affection, Hostility/aggression, Indifference/Neglect, Undifferentiated/Rejection. “Emotional intelligence” is the aspect of individuals’ personalities to create and draw favorable inferences in interpersonal relationships with people and within themselves. In 1993 Mayer and Salovey suggested that via emotional intelligence, one can monitor not only own feelings and emotions but others’ also18. Research has shown the significant importance of family relationships in terms of influence on and emotional intelligence of adolescents19.A similar view has been shared by Rohner20 who stressed the role of perceived parental acceptance and rejection on psychological modification in the early years, as well as relationship building as an adult. In a previous study, Likewise, Hipwell et al21 suggested that parental acceptance and rejection affect the development of depressive symptomatology and behavioural issues in female adolescents. Most of these studies have been undertaken in the West, while comparatively little has been published or is presently conducted in South Asian contexts. There hasn’t been much research done on parenting factors in Pakistan especially in acceptance rejection context.

Methodology

Sample Size

The sample of the current study comprised (N = 600) adolescents (300 were male and 300 were female). Data were collected from the different schools in Karachi, Pakistan. The age range of the participants was 13 to 17 years. The sample for the study was justified by A-priori sample size student t-test online calculator.

Sampling Technique

The convenience sampling technique was utilized to obtain the information from the participants. Written consents were taken from participants, administrations, and teachers of all the schools. All participants have explained the aims and importance of the research.

Measures and Procedure

Demographic Information Form was used to collect personal information of the participants, such as age, gender, birth order, number of siblings, and school grades of children. Family structure, religion, educational level, and socioeconomic status of the parents were also part of the demographic form. The demographic characteristics of the sample are mentioned in Table 1. Petrides developed the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire for Adolescents (TEIQue-ASF, Petrides 2001, Urdu version by Zia, A., Khan, A., &Shazad, S., 2015), This scale was also determined to be trustworthy in the current investigation, which supported the acceptable values of Cronbach’s Alpha (=.84) for internal consistency, and Furnham and Rohner developed the Acceptance Rejection Scale, (Father Short Form, Rohner 1980, Urdu version by Malik, 2011). It is a self-report measure mainly applied to assess “Parental Acceptance and Rejection. “The lowest score is 24, and the highest is 96. Test outcomes are judged to have excellent validity and reliability. This scale has high internal consistency, as measured by a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.92. The present study’s usage of a father-specific Cronbach’s alpha score (=.87) demonstrates the scale’s reliability and validity.

Data Collection Procedure

The emotional Intelligence scale was initially administered, followed by Child Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire (Short form). The entire sample of students was taken from different private schools in Karachi.

Data Analysis

Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 21.0) was used to analyze collected data. Descriptive statistics and a t-test was applied to assess the differences in perceived Father’s approval and emotional intelligence of adolescents.

Results

It has been noted that most fathers have matriculated or intermediate education with 24.3% and 20.5%, respectively. Only one-fourth of 25% has a graduation degree, and even lesser than 14% of fathers of the participating adolescents have a master’s degree. Almost all the fathers of participants (94.3%) have private jobs. Most of the participant’s families are Muslim (89%), with most families having a nuclear family structure (65.3%). Regarding the economic status of the participant’s family, three-fourths or 75% of the adolescents belonged to middle-income class socioeconomic status (Table 1).

Table 01: Characteristics of study adolescents’ parents & family

Table 02: Difference in emotional intelligence between Girls and boys’ adolescents who perceived their father as approving

The scores of girls who perceived their fathers as approving (142 + 19.71) were found to be higher on the variable of emotional intelligence as compared to the scores of boys who perceived their fathers as approving (139 + 17.61) with a statistical significance proven through a t-value of   at 0.042.

Table 03: Difference in emotional intelligence between Girls and boys’ adolescents who perceived their father as dismissing

Table 3 illustrates that the difference in the scores of girls who perceived their fathers as dismissing (132.67 + 16.94) on the variable of emotional intelligence as compared to the scores of boys who perceived their fathers as dismissing (139 + 17.61) was found to be statistically insignificant with a p-value of 0.209.

Discussion

The information discussed here concentrates on the first hypothesis, which narrates that there is a marked variance regarding the level of “emotional intelligence” among girls who perceived their father as accepting and associated with boys who perceived their father as accepting. Table 2 highlights the results of the t-test and the mean values of emotional intelligence for both genders. The results display a difference in the emotional intelligence of girls’ and boys’ who perceived their father as accepting. The mean emotional intelligence value of boy’s adolescents who perceived their father as accepting was found to be lower than girls’. In addition, the difference in mean values of emotional intelligence is statistically significant. A review of research has concluded that parents with higher anxiety levels can have varying perceptions of their child’s emotional situation. Boy adolescents are found to be higher in avoidance scores and, therefore, reported less mirrored emotion, resulting in a lower intensity and less willingness to interact23. Psychological research has shown that children perceived by their parents as having high emotional intelligence and perceived paternal acceptance are more likely to form close relationships in later life. Parmar and Rohner have offered a similar notion24, 25. Girls tend to have higher emotional intelligence in accepting cases but will be most affected in case of rejection. Some researchers cannot differentiate between emotional intelligence variation due to father acceptance and adolescent gender. Although an exciting finding, more research might be required to understand this aspect fully26,27. In addition to the above-provided support to the statistical outcomes of this research study regarding the last hypothesis, several other research studies have been found to have concluded a similar pattern in terms of the positive relationship between the discussed factors. Parental acceptance and warmth are reported as a protective factor that enhances trust and mutual understanding between parent and child and establishes family rules, affirmative values, and behaviors28. Girls have better emotional intelligence when their father is perceived as accepting, and boys have lower emotional intelligence if their father does not accept them. This hypothesis acceptance is based on statistical evidence as well as literary proof from some of the most recent research works on the issue. A study on the Korean population has presented some substance to the hypothesis that boys’ emotional intelligence is less affected by overall perceived parental rejection. This study also recorded that girls are affected by the rejection of both parents; hence, their emotional support is significant for girls’ self-esteem29. Hence, the greater the perceived rejection, the higher the negative influence on girls than boys. This can also impact other life processes like academics, as identified by scientists30. Sense and companions have studied the influence of a father’s rejection on different adolescent genders. The research has found a correlation between higher perceived rejection and its association with higher peer rejection. It can be considered in explaining the outcomes presented in the above research31 .Girls tend to have a higher ability to manage emotions in an interpersonal relationship but are most affected by rejection from those of high importance; a study has shown. This presents proof of the impact of unfavorable influence on emotional intelligence on adolescents’ surroundings, social interaction, and future involvements32. Research has also found a strong link between parental rejection and teenage emotional intelligence. Negative personality traits can be developed through intelligence, just as positive traits can develop negative personality traits33. In Pakistani settings, gender privilege is another major problem with preference given to sons. This issue might also be one of the reasons for higher father dismissal of girls. Adolescents are most affected by authoritative parenting styles and are highly vulnerable to drug abuse as a consequential behavior34,35.

Conclusion

According to a study, adolescents who believe their father approves of them have higher emotional intelligence (E.I.) than those who believe otherwise. The findings have implications for clinical psychology in Pakistan and a better understanding of the E.I. paradigm in teenagers.

AUTHORS’ CONTRIBUTION: 

The following authors have made substantial contributions to the manuscript as under:

Conception or Design: Sadaf Hafeez Chohan

Acquisition, Analysis or Interpretation of Data: Sadaf Hafeez Chohan

Manuscript Writing & Approval: Hina Ayaz Habib

All authors acknowledge their accountability for all facets of the research, ensuring that any concerns regarding the accuracy or integrity of the work are duly investigated and resolved.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: We thanks all the participants in this study.

INFORMED CONSENT: Written Informed Consent was taken from each patient.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The author (s) have no conflict of interest regarding any of the activity perform by PJR.

FUNDING STATEMENTS: None declared

ETHICS STATEMENTS: N/A

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