The Influence of the Perception of Parent-Child Relationships on the Formation of Codependent Relationships in Adult Women 0 0

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to assess the influence of parental relationships on the specific features of adult women’s interaction with a partner, taking into account the level of codependency. Methods. The study was conducted with 232 women, who were divided into three groups depending on the length of their romantic relationships and family composition in childhood. 
The Fischer-Spann Codependency Scale was used to assess the level of codependency in women; the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire was used to assess the relationships between the women and their parents in childhood; the R. Janoff-Bulman basic beliefs methodology was used to evaluate women’s life and worldview attitudes. Statistical comparison of the results included the Pearson’s criterion, Cramer’s V, the integral index of psychological deformation, and the percentage loss of resources criterion. 
Results. It was established that a higher moderate level of codependency was observed in women in Group 3 (52.6%) and Group 1 (48.7%), which is associated with the involvement of both parents in upbringing during childhood. The highest level of markedly expressed codependency was observed in women in Group 2 (51.8%), whose parents were divorced, which affected selfsacrifice and disregard of their own needs in adulthood. The study established that there is a difference in the perception of mother and father by all respondents: the level of rejection of the father was lower, while the mother’s additional care was perceived as control (especially in Group 2), which resulted in a more pronounced hostile attitude toward the mother (12.8 points) than toward the father overall. Respondents’ answers revealed a higher level of neglect by the father in the absence of regular interaction with him and emotional support. Statistical assessment of basic beliefs made it possible to determine that a less stable self-image was evident in women with a high level of codependency. Discussion and conclusions. Codependency in women is associated with the influence of relationships with parents in childhood. A markedly expressed level of codependency is observed in the group of women whose parents were divorced; it may be assumed that in such a family, the perception of the father and mother became polarized. This perception of parent-child relationships among these women also affected a lowered self-image, reduced benevolent perception of the surrounding world, and low levels of justice and luck. The study showed that the presence of optimal control and involvement (as the opposite of indifference) of both parents during childhood contributed to a more harmonious formation of personal boundaries in adulthood, thereby enabling more independent relationship building.