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Parental bonding instrument. Exploring for links between scores and obsessionality
1Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University.
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
|April 1, 1994
Summary
Individuals with higher levels of obsessionality reported experiencing overprotective parenting. This suggests a potential link between parental overprotection and the development of obsessional traits in nonclinical populations.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Personality Psychology
Background:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and obsessional personality traits are often anecdotally linked to overcontrolling or overcritical parenting.
- Understanding the influence of early life experiences, particularly parenting styles, is crucial for comprehending the etiology of personality disorders and traits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between perceived parenting styles and levels of obsessionality in a nonclinical sample.
- To examine whether parental overprotection and/or lack of care are associated with higher scores on measures of obsessionality.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two established measures of obsessionality: the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory and the Leyton Obsessionality Inventory.
- Administered the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to 344 nonclinical participants to assess perceived parental care and overprotection.
- Controlled for confounding variables including state depression, trait anxiety, and neuroticism in statistical analyses.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between higher scores on obsessionality measures and elevated scores on the PBI protection scale, indicating perceived overprotective parenting.
- The association between perceived parental care (PBI care scale) and obsessionality was less consistent, primarily observed with the Maudsley Inventory and influenced by controlling variables.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the hypothesis that individuals with higher obsessionality report experiencing more overprotective parenting.
- The link between perceived parental care and obsessionality is less robust and requires further investigation, potentially moderated by other psychological factors.