The type of relationship that is established between parents and children is indicative of mental health and the ability to realize in 21 different countries.
The quality of the relationship that parents establish with their children will be The single most important factor for their future well -beingunderstood as mental health and the ability to “flourish”, finding one’s place in the world. This is the case in every part of the planet: a study has in fact validated this now well known discovery in the largest and most heterogeneous sample ever, out of 200,000 people from 21 different countries. The research was published on Communications Psychology.
Dig in childhood. Jonathan T. Rothwell and Telli Davooti, researchers from the US institute for statistical research and the analysis of public opinion Gallup, started with the idea of exploring the relationship between Parenting styles, quality of the relationship between parents and children and mental health of the latter, also with the idea of investigating the origin of the epidemic of mental disorders among teenagers in the United States.
As expected, the two scientists observed very strong links among these three factors, but perhaps the most interesting aspect emerged when they decided to measure the association between the experiences made during childhood and the personal realization in adulthood.
Go and flourish. This second evaluation was possible thanks to a collaboration with the Global Flourishing Study, a collaboration between the University of Harvard, the Baylor University, the Open Science Foundation and Gallup that measures the human ability to thrive Based on five factors: happiness and satisfaction for one’s life, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue and quality of closest social relationships.
Difficult questions. This expansion of “vision” has allowed Rothwell and Davooti to analyze a much wider archive of data, with interviews conducted by telephone, online or in person to 200,000 people now adult In 21 different countries for geography and culturewith the aim of representing every geographical region of the earth. The interviews included questions about well -being and questions to explore the social, cultural, economic, religious and family background of the subjects.
The latter aspect was investigated by asking the participants if they had grown up feeling loved From the mother and father, to judge the relationship with the parents (on a very good scale to very bad), or if they had ever felt excluded from the family context.
How do you see the future? 19 more questions explored the realization in adulthood starting from the level of hope and from satisfaction for one’s health or for their virtues.
For example, it was asked how much everyone agreed with phrases such as: “Despite adversity, I always remain hopeful about the future“Finally, 7 other questions attested the presence and importance of clinical symptoms As a sadness and anxiety to investigate the mental health of the interviewees.
A heritage forever. «We found a substantial effect of the relationships between parents and children both on self -realization and on mental health. The effect was more relevant than any other variable testedincluding the socio -economic condition, the current level of education, family income, genre and financial security “, explains Rothwell. This relationship has been confirmed in every studied country: therefore it seems there is a universal connectionwhich is independent of any culture and latitude, between the quality of the bond with the parents and adults that we will become or that we have become.
