PERCEIVED PARENTAL REARING PRACTICES AND STYLES OF COPING

In order to study the relation between parental rearing practices and coping dispositions, 75 females and 65 males completed the Children's Report of Parental Behavior Inventory and the COPE, a measure of general coping dispositions. Those who reported their parents had an authoritative rearing style (warmth and nurturance coupled with close monitoring and age-appropriate demandingness) used more social support and problem-focused coping than those who reported their parents used other rearing styles. In general, perceived parental warmth was related to the greater use of social support and problem-focused coping. Parental firm control was associated with increased problem-focused and reduced emotion-focused coping. The findings are discussed in the concert of parental rearing styles indirectly influencing coping dispositions through their impact on feelings of competence and personal control.