j%urnal of Adolescence 1992, 15, 317-322
Brief Report Perceived parental rearing, personality and mental status in Japanese adolescents TOSHIAKI
FURUKAWA
As a part of a prospective study on the psychological adjustment of Japanese teenagers enrolled in a foreign exchange student program, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), the AIaudsley Personality Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were administered to 130 females and 47 males aged 17 through 19 before departure. Parental practices were found to influence personality features, which in turn contribute to the mental health status, but no direct significant relationship was found between the PBI and GHQ measures. The last finding is in contradistinction to the previous reports which report low care and high overprotection in unipolar depressives and anxiety disorder patients but in accordance with a recent finding which failed to replicate them in general population. It is possible that the earlier findings in clinical populations were a case of Be&on bias.
INTRODUCTIOX It
is commonly
great
assumed
influences
Tupling
on the
and Brown
able (Mackinnon valid (Parker, tion experienced Kitamura
(1988)
Case-control 1983;
early
(1979)
have
experiences
later
with
psychological
developed
the
parents
adjustment.
the PBI
which
exert Parker,
allows
a reli-
et al., 1989; Parker et al., 1979; Plantes et al., 1988) and 1981; Parker et al., 1979) measurement of care and protec-
item equivalence Parker,
that subject’s
with
each
translated by means studies
Plantes
parent
during
the PBI
the
first
into Japanese
of patients
et al., 1988)
with unipolar
depression
as well as those
with
of life.
Reprint requests should be addressed to Dr Toshiaki Nagoya City University, School of Medicine. Mizuho-cho,
(Parker,
anxiety
have repeatedly shown “affectionless control,”
low on the care scale and high on the overprotection
KJ3.00/0
years
its
of back translation.
(Faravelli et al., 1991; Parker, 1979) jects report what Parker has called
Olin-1971/92/030317+06
sixteen
and has ascertained
1981;
disorders
that these subi.e. they score
scale of the PBI.
The
Furukawa, Department of Psychiatry, Mizuho-ku 467, Japan
0 !992 The Association for the Psychiatric Study of Adolescents
318
T. FCRUKAWA
Swedish
studies
practices
have
using yielded
al. (1989)
have
association
between
part
Japanese
self-report similar
et al., 1986).
sives (Perris,
As
a different astonishingly
shown,
In general
to their
the PBI
teenagers
population,
own
surprise,
measures
of a prospective
study
enrolled
in a foreign
had an opportunity
to examine
as to the personality
as well
discrepancies
of the previous
test the following sonality atric
status
status
(2)
praesens.
(3)
that
or affective
(1) Parental
rearing
of
program,
we
to the psychi-
and
report
evaluate
we would
practices
characteristics
rearing
symptoms.
adjustment
student
of the PBI
In this brief
influence
the
like to
influence
influence
practices
et
was no reliable
characteristics
Personality
Parental
there
exchange
depres-
Mackinnon
psychological
the relationship
studies.
hypotheses.
characteristics.
the
of parental
for unipolar
however,
and neurotic on
atric
status
questionnaire results
per-
psychi-
psychiatric
praesens.
METHOD Subjects year
were
with
177 Japanese
a host
family
teenage
students
in various
national exchange student program. During the pre-departure orientation asked
to
complete
Personality item
the
Inventory
General
of a survey personally”.
(J-MPI)
Health of “how The
and neuroticism
PBI,
the
the exchange
J-MPI scales,
provides,
GHQ-30,
respectively.
the complete
Research
program
Excluding
data sets for 165 students
the
1969)
(Goldberg, change
to the original
and three
(93%).
They
were
were
and the 30as part
and develop extroversion into Japanese
the J-MPI
non-completers,
a
Maudsley
1972)
has been adopted
the PBI,
to spend of an inter-
students
of
Group,
lets them
in addition
these
these
version
(GHQ-30)
going
the aegis
meeting,
the lie scale which
from Jensen (1958). Eight students failed to complete
under
Japanese
(MPI
Questionnaire
who were
countries
we could
and the obtain
123 females
and
42 males; 95 were 17 years old, 63 were 18 years old, and 7 were 19 years old. We used the program SYSTAT (Wilkinson, 1989) to perform the statistical
analyses.
RESULTS The raw scores for the PBI, the J-MPI and the GHQ-30 in Table 1. Compared with the published norm (MPI 1969), our sample is extremely extrovert exists in terms of the neuroticism or the
are summarized Research Group,
but no remarkable difference lie score. As for the GHQ-30,
PERCEIVED
Table
Raw scores of the PBI,J-MPI
1.
paternal overprotection
25.8 + 6.2 23.9 f 6.7
9.9 If: 6.3 9.1 + 6.9 GHQ-30
L 12.9 zk 5.8 11.6 k 5.0 13.4 + 6.0
19.9 * 9.9 21.2 * 11.1 22.2 + 10.2
39.0 f 6.8 37.1 f 8.4 29.4 f 10.0
t from MPI Research
paternal care
J-MPI N
E female male published norm-t_
and GHQ-30 (mean + S.D.)
9.9 + 5.8 9.5 f 4.6
28.9 + 4.9 28.2 Y!Z5.4
319
REARING
PBI maternal overprotection
maternal care female male
PARENTAL
5.9 k 4.4 4.5 + 3.8
Group (1969)
applying the cut-off point of 4/5, originally recommended by Goldberg (1972), 84 students (50.9%) are suspected of suffering from minor psychiatric disorders; if we apply the cut-off point of 617, which Kitamura, Sugawara, Aoki and Shima (1989) found satisfactory in a study with Japanese pregnant women, 47 students (28.5%) are judged to be psychiatricaily disturbed. These figures are comparable to the rates of Japanese high school students scoring above the cut-off point of the 60-item GHQ (45%) (Kitamura and Suzuki, 1986). In order to test our first hypothesis, we performed multiple regression analysis of the PBI measures on the J-MPI measures (Table 2). Since influences of parental rearing practices were expected to differ according Table
2.
Multiple regression of PBI on J-MPI
standard
maternal care female
male
E N L E N L
* p < 0.05, ** p
Brief Report Perceived parental rearing, personality and mental status in Japanese adolescents TOSHIAKI
FURUKAWA
As a part of a prospective study on the psychological adjustment of Japanese teenagers enrolled in a foreign exchange student program, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), the AIaudsley Personality Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were administered to 130 females and 47 males aged 17 through 19 before departure. Parental practices were found to influence personality features, which in turn contribute to the mental health status, but no direct significant relationship was found between the PBI and GHQ measures. The last finding is in contradistinction to the previous reports which report low care and high overprotection in unipolar depressives and anxiety disorder patients but in accordance with a recent finding which failed to replicate them in general population. It is possible that the earlier findings in clinical populations were a case of Be&on bias.
INTRODUCTIOX It
is commonly
great
assumed
influences
Tupling
on the
and Brown
able (Mackinnon valid (Parker, tion experienced Kitamura
(1988)
Case-control 1983;
early
(1979)
have
experiences
later
with
psychological
developed
the
parents
adjustment.
the PBI
which
exert Parker,
allows
a reli-
et al., 1989; Parker et al., 1979; Plantes et al., 1988) and 1981; Parker et al., 1979) measurement of care and protec-
item equivalence Parker,
that subject’s
with
each
translated by means studies
Plantes
parent
during
the PBI
the
first
into Japanese
of patients
et al., 1988)
with unipolar
depression
as well as those
with
of life.
Reprint requests should be addressed to Dr Toshiaki Nagoya City University, School of Medicine. Mizuho-cho,
(Parker,
anxiety
have repeatedly shown “affectionless control,”
low on the care scale and high on the overprotection
KJ3.00/0
years
its
of back translation.
(Faravelli et al., 1991; Parker, 1979) jects report what Parker has called
Olin-1971/92/030317+06
sixteen
and has ascertained
1981;
disorders
that these subi.e. they score
scale of the PBI.
The
Furukawa, Department of Psychiatry, Mizuho-ku 467, Japan
0 !992 The Association for the Psychiatric Study of Adolescents
318
T. FCRUKAWA
Swedish
studies
practices
have
using yielded
al. (1989)
have
association
between
part
Japanese
self-report similar
et al., 1986).
sives (Perris,
As
a different astonishingly
shown,
In general
to their
the PBI
teenagers
population,
own
surprise,
measures
of a prospective
study
enrolled
in a foreign
had an opportunity
to examine
as to the personality
as well
discrepancies
of the previous
test the following sonality atric
status
status
(2)
praesens.
(3)
that
or affective
(1) Parental
rearing
of
program,
we
to the psychi-
and
report
evaluate
we would
practices
characteristics
rearing
symptoms.
adjustment
student
of the PBI
In this brief
influence
the
like to
influence
influence
practices
et
was no reliable
characteristics
Personality
Parental
there
exchange
depres-
Mackinnon
psychological
the relationship
studies.
hypotheses.
characteristics.
the
of parental
for unipolar
however,
and neurotic on
atric
status
questionnaire results
per-
psychi-
psychiatric
praesens.
METHOD Subjects year
were
with
177 Japanese
a host
family
teenage
students
in various
national exchange student program. During the pre-departure orientation asked
to
complete
Personality item
the
Inventory
General
of a survey personally”.
(J-MPI)
Health of “how The
and neuroticism
PBI,
the
the exchange
J-MPI scales,
provides,
GHQ-30,
respectively.
the complete
Research
program
Excluding
data sets for 165 students
the
1969)
(Goldberg, change
to the original
and three
(93%).
They
were
were
and the 30as part
and develop extroversion into Japanese
the J-MPI
non-completers,
a
Maudsley
1972)
has been adopted
the PBI,
to spend of an inter-
students
of
Group,
lets them
in addition
these
these
version
(GHQ-30)
going
the aegis
meeting,
the lie scale which
from Jensen (1958). Eight students failed to complete
under
Japanese
(MPI
Questionnaire
who were
countries
we could
and the obtain
123 females
and
42 males; 95 were 17 years old, 63 were 18 years old, and 7 were 19 years old. We used the program SYSTAT (Wilkinson, 1989) to perform the statistical
analyses.
RESULTS The raw scores for the PBI, the J-MPI and the GHQ-30 in Table 1. Compared with the published norm (MPI 1969), our sample is extremely extrovert exists in terms of the neuroticism or the
are summarized Research Group,
but no remarkable difference lie score. As for the GHQ-30,
PERCEIVED
Table
Raw scores of the PBI,J-MPI
1.
paternal overprotection
25.8 + 6.2 23.9 f 6.7
9.9 If: 6.3 9.1 + 6.9 GHQ-30
L 12.9 zk 5.8 11.6 k 5.0 13.4 + 6.0
19.9 * 9.9 21.2 * 11.1 22.2 + 10.2
39.0 f 6.8 37.1 f 8.4 29.4 f 10.0
t from MPI Research
paternal care
J-MPI N
E female male published norm-t_
and GHQ-30 (mean + S.D.)
9.9 + 5.8 9.5 f 4.6
28.9 + 4.9 28.2 Y!Z5.4
319
REARING
PBI maternal overprotection
maternal care female male
PARENTAL
5.9 k 4.4 4.5 + 3.8
Group (1969)
applying the cut-off point of 4/5, originally recommended by Goldberg (1972), 84 students (50.9%) are suspected of suffering from minor psychiatric disorders; if we apply the cut-off point of 617, which Kitamura, Sugawara, Aoki and Shima (1989) found satisfactory in a study with Japanese pregnant women, 47 students (28.5%) are judged to be psychiatricaily disturbed. These figures are comparable to the rates of Japanese high school students scoring above the cut-off point of the 60-item GHQ (45%) (Kitamura and Suzuki, 1986). In order to test our first hypothesis, we performed multiple regression analysis of the PBI measures on the J-MPI measures (Table 2). Since influences of parental rearing practices were expected to differ according Table
2.
Multiple regression of PBI on J-MPI
standard
maternal care female
male
E N L E N L
* p < 0.05, ** p
