Influences of Femininity and Maternal Relationships on Anxiety and Adjustment in Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

This study examined how maternal acceptance, care, and overprotection, along with individuals' feminine gender orientation, impacted anxiety and adjustment among emerging adults. Data were collected via survey packets from 106 college undergraduates at a university in New England and analyzed using multiple regression models. Results indicated that maternal acceptance predicted better psychological adjustment above and beyond the influence of other parenting characteristics and gender role ideology; participants who felt accepted by their mothers growing up were more likely to have positive adjustment. However, with respect to anxiety, results suggested that having a more feminine gender role orientation was more strongly related to increased anxiety than maternal care, overprotection, and acceptance. These findings contribute to the understanding of unique factors that may serve as risk or resilience factors in the psychological well-being of young adults.

Helicopter Parenting and the Moderating Impact of Gender and Single-Parent Family Structure on Self-Efficacy and Well-Being

“…So, no matter the circumstances or social conditions, men will parent in ways that are considered instrumental, while women will parent in traditionally expressive ways (Coles, 2015, p. 154). One study did find that young adults who perceived their mothers emphasized femininity traits were more likely to be prone to anxiety, whereas maternal overprotection was associated with lowered adjustment (Shevenell & Meteyer, 2018). In the era of intensive mothering, characterized by extensive expenditure of time and energy resources (Hays, 1996), mothers across a broad range of demographic profiles experience the pressure to live up to society’s expectations of the ideal mother (Forbes et al, 2020).…”