Relations between Remembered Childhood Parental Acceptance-Rejection, Current Fear of Intimacy, and Psychological adjustment among Pakistani Adults

This study examined the relations between remembered childhood parental acceptance-rejection, fear of intimacy, and psychological adjustment in adulthood among Pakistani young, middle, and older adults.The sample consisted of a total of 366 (55.7% females) participants from Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in Pakistan.Among them 182 were young adults (60.9% females), 92 middle adults (52.1% females), and 92 older adults (48.9% females).The samples responded to 5 self-report measures: Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire for mothers and fathers (short forms), Interpersonal Relationship Anxiety Questionnaire, Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (short form), and Fear of Intimacy Scale.Results showed that only male young adults perceived to be more rejected by their mothers and fathers as compared to female young adults.Rejected adults (by both mother & father) reported higher levels of psychological maladjustment, interpersonal relationship anxiety, and fear of intimacy than did accepted adults in all age groups, except older adults.Remembered paternal and maternal acceptance-rejection were significantly correlated with psychological adjustment, interpersonal relationship anxiety, and fear of intimacy for both male and female respondents of all age groups, except older adults.Psychological adjustment and interpersonal relationship anxiety were significantly correlated with fear of intimacy for both male and female respondents of all age groups, except for female older adults.Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that paternal acceptance and psychological adjustment made significant independent contributions for the fear of intimacy of young and middle adults.Maternal acceptance made significant independent contribution for only young adults' psychological adjustment, but paternal acceptance made significant independent contributions for young and older adults' psychological adjustment.