The influence of mood on memories of parental rearing practices

Parental rearing styles are often found to be related to adult psychological disorders. In general, conclusions are based on the data of retrospective studies, in which patients' memories of their parents' behaviour are investigated. However, it has been widely recognized that memories may be sensitive to current mood states. The possible mood sensitivity of autobiographic memories is a powerful alternative explanation of the relationship commonly found between parental rearing styles and psychopathology, with implications for the hypothesis of early parenting as a vulnerability factor in the aetiology of such disorders. The present study examined whether memories of parental rearing styles are influenced by present mood. To this aim, both mood and memories of parental rearing styles were assessed on two occasions in a sample of 315 healthy subjects from the general community (Study 1) and in a group of 46 socially phobic patients (Study 2). Results showed that memories of early parenting remained quite stable, even in the face of significant and considerable changes in anxiety, depression, and hostility. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.