Perceived Parental Warmth, and Children’s Psychological Adjustment, and Personality Dispositions: A Meta-analysis

The purpose of this meta-analysis is to address three questions drawn from one of the basic postulates of parental acceptance–rejection
theory: (1) To what extent are children’s perceptions of parental warmth related to their psychological adjustment? (2) To
what extent are children’s perceptions of parental warmth related to their personality dispositions? (3) Do relations found
in these questions vary by the gender of parents? The meta-analysis was based on 30 studies from 16 countries in five continents
involving 12,087 children (52 % boys and 48 % girls). All studies included in the meta-analysis, used child versions of the
Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire for Mothers and for Fathers (Child PARQ: Mothers and Fathers), as well as the
child version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire (Child PAQ). Results showed that perceived parental warmth correlated
significantly with psychological adjustment and personality dispositions—including hostility and aggression, independence,
positive self-esteem, positive self-adequacy, emotional responsiveness, emotional stability, and positive worldview of children
across ethnicities, cultures, gender, and geographical boundaries.