Abstract

PEREIRA, Luisa Braga  and  OLIVA, Angela Donato. Does sex influence perceived parental care and overprotection? A study from a Brazilian State sample. Rev. bras.ter. cogn. [online]. 2023, vol.19, n.spe1, pp.53-60.  Epub July 15, 2024. ISSN 1808-5687.  https://doi.org/10.5935/1808-5687.20230034.

Parenting research is essential to better understand how caregivers affect their offsprings development. The parental behaviors of care and overprotection can be assessed by adult offsprings recollections of experiences during childhood and adolescence. It is suggested that both the parents and the offsprings sex influence the frequency and magnitude of perceived care and overprotection. The objective of the study was to verify the relationships of parental care and overprotection in the Brazilian context, while also accounting for the influence of caregivers and participants sex. 477 Brazilian adults participated in the study. The Parental Bonding Instrument was used to assess participants perceptions of parental care and overprotection. Spearman correlations and dependent and independent t-test analyses were conducted. Parental care and overprotection were inversely correlated. Mothers were viewed as presenting higher levels of both care and overprotection than fathers. Female participants reported higher paternal overprotection, while male individuals expressed experiencing more maternal care. The preliminary outcomes indicate that sex seems to be an important variable to be accounted for when verifying parents behavioral patterns. This research proposes to amplify the discussion about caregivers behaviors considering social contexts in Brazil.

Keywords : Maternal Behavior; Paternal Behavior; Sex.

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