Memories of Parenting Behaviour and Their Relation to Young Adults’ Friendships: Moderating Effects of Cognitive and Dispositional Factors

Abstract

Research has consistently demonstrated the effect of positive parenting on young adults’ social outcomes. However, a vast number of factors can moderate this link. The present study examined whether trait mindfulness and adaptive cognitive modification may be moderators in the link between young adults’ recollections of parenting and the present-day quality of friendships. An undergraduate sample (N = 626) was surveyed regarding memories of their parents’ positive parenting during their first 16 years of life, their own levels of trait mindfulness, and the quality of current interpersonal relationships with friends. Participants also provided narratives on their past vs. present perceptions of a negative parenting event from their childhood, and these narratives were coded for adaptive cognitive modifications in attributions for parenting behaviours. Analyses indicated that mindfulness enhanced the association between recalled positive parenting and friendship quality. Adaptive cognitive modification did not show statistically significant effects on the relationship between recalled positive parenting and friendship quality. These results show that dispositional factors such as mindfulness, but not adaptive cognitive modification for attributions, influence the way that recollections of parents’ parenting are related to young adults’ positive friendships. 

Keywords— Parenting, Friendship, Mindfulness, Attributions, Recollections