Differences in Perceptions of Parental Acceptance / Rejection in Students in the 3rd Cycle of Schooling

Abstract

Perceptions of acceptance/rejection, in this case parental, are revealing for the psychological adjustment of students and for their success in various areas of life, in this case at school (Ali, 2011; Khaleque & Ali, 2017; Rohner, 2016). Based on some concepts from the Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (Rohner 1975, 1986, 2004, 2016), this study analyzes differences in parental acceptance / rejection, mother and father, according to the students´ grade (7th, 8th and 9thh). The study sample included 573 students aged 12 to 18, mostly attending state schools in the Lisbon district and a state school in Beira Alta. Of these students, 214 (37.3%) were from the 7th grade, 202 from the 8th (35.3%) and 157 from the 9th grade (27.4%). For this, we used the One Way MANOVA and the Scheffé post-hoc test was applied to identify which grades differed in terms of parental acceptance / rejection (father and mother). Our results show significant differences between grades, in the dimensions and total scale related to the perception of maternal and paternal acceptance / rejection. In general terms, 9th grade students showed themselves as those who revealed to perceive more parental rejection, in global terms, in relation to father and mother. We believe that these students having been through adolescence, as well as being much nearer to attending secondary school, may explain these results. On the other hand, the 7th grade students, closest to childhood years, were those who revealed themselves to feel less problems regarding affection on the part of their mothers and fathers.