Stressful Life Events and Parent-Child Relationship

Author: krati sharma

In modern technological society, stress is found to be a complex phenomenon. Stress is a state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain. A state of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium is stress. In spite of the stress faced by the parents, parents play an indispensable role in life of their children. The present article focuses on this aspect that parents who are stressed whether have an impact on their parent child relationship.

Stress is an unavoidable effect of living. It has been also found to be linked to coronary heart disease, psychosomatic disorders, and various other mental and physical problems. Stress can be treated by a combination of counseling or psychotherapy and medication.

It seems to be common knowledge that women are generally busier and more stressed than men, that they juggle more roles and are constantly rushing. Parents protect, punish ,reject, reward, love ,demand their children in order to discipline them. A study done on impact of stressful life events on parent child relation focuses on this aspect that parents who are stressed whether have impact on their parent child relationship.

For this, a sample of 50 women in the age group of 25 to 45 yrs who had adolescent children were for the study. The standardized tools namelyPresumptive Stressful Life Events Scale by Singh , Kaur & Kaur and Parent Child Relationship Scale by Nalini Rao were introduced to the sample to collect the data for the study.
Table 1
Showing Mean, SD and t score of 50 adolescents on PCRS domain
Marital Conflicts
Death of Spouse
Variable
Mean
SD
Mean
SD
t
Protecting
31.0
5.70
30.2
5.80
0 .46
Loving
30.0
5.51
31.8
7.82
-0 . 88
Symbolic punishment
28.2
5.27
25.0
6.79
1 . 75
Rejecting
24.7
6.67
25.7
6.74
-0 . 49
Object Punishment
24.4
7.79
25.8
6.74
-0 . 58
Demanding
24.7
7.35
25.5
7.07
-0 . 37
Neglect
23.0
4.65
23.6
5.38
-0 . 40
Object Reward
27.7
5.49
29.2
6.23
-0 . 85
Symbolic Reward
31.0
5.90
34.1
-2 . 09
3.69*
Indifferent
27.4
6.83
36.0
2.61
-5 . 52*
Results indicate that protecting domain shows the mean difference between 31 and 30.2 with standard deviations of 5.70 and 5.80 and sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is not significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was 0 . 46.
Loving domain of parents shows the difference between 30 and 31.8 with standard deviations of 5.51 and 7.82 and sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is not significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was -0 . 88. Symbolic punishment shows the difference between 28.2 and 25.0 with standard deviations of 5.27 and 6.79 and sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is not significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was 1.75.
Rejecting domain shows the difference between 24.7 and 25.7 with standard deviations of 6.67 and 6.74 and sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is not significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was -0 . 49.
Object Punishment shows the difference between 24.4 and 25.8 with standard deviations of 7.79 and 8.26 and sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is not significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was -0 . 58.
Demanding domain of PCRS the difference between 24.7 and 25.5 with standard deviations of 7.35 and 7.07 and sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is not significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was -0 . 37.
Neglecting domain the difference between 23.0 and 23.6 with standard deviations of 4.65 and 5.38 and sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is not significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was -0 . 40.
Object reward domain shows the difference between 27.7 and 29.2 with standard deviations of 5.49 and 6.23 and sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is not significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was -0 . 85.
Symbolic reward domain shows the difference between 31.0 and 34.1 with standard deviations of 5.90 and 3.69 based on sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was -2 . 09.
Indifferent domain shows the difference between 27.4 and 36.0 with standard deviations of 6.83 and 2.61 based on sample sizes of 22 and 22, respectively, is significant at the .05 level. The value of the t-statistic for this test was -5 . 52.
References
Agarwal,Kusum (1997).Acomparative study of parental encouragement among the different educational groups of Urban and Rural adolescents, Experiments in Education.25(10),204-207.
Kumer,Yatendra,(2003).Acomparative study of adjustment of boys and girls studying in higher secondary level with reference to their self-confidence,M.Ed.dissertation,C.S.J.M. University,Kanpur.
Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Progress on a cognitive–motivational–relational
theory of emotion. The American Psychologist, 46, 819-834.
Lazarus, R. S. (1993). From psychological stress to the emotions: A history of changing outlooks. Annual Review of Psychology 44, 1-21.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping.
New York: Springer.
Dodge,D. and Martin,W. (1970). Social Stress and Chronic Illness ( Univ. of Norta Dame Press,Notra Dame,Ind.)
Singh,Gurmeet ; Kaur Dalbir; Kaur, Harsharan(1971). Presumptive Stressful Life Event Scale, National Psychological Corporation, Agra.
Rao,Nalini ( 1971). Parent Child Relationship Scale (PCRS). National Psychological Corporation,Agra.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/stressful-life-events-and-parent-child-relationship-4491056.html
About the Author

krati sharma, research scholar, human development