Abstract
It is widely recognized that parents' marital relationship has an influence on their children's mental health, but few studies have examined whether this relation differs by the gender of the parent or child. The present study investigated how marital trust and positive parenting affect the psychological well-being of young males and females. Young adults (140 males and 153 females with a mean age of 22.4 years) and their parents completed questionnaires. The results showed that the level of marital trust among parents affected how well parents supported young adults. It was also found that sons understood the importance of their relationship with their fathers only after the father stated that the relationship was important. On the other hand, daughters recognized that they were supported by their fathers when their mothers had a strong level of trust in their husbands and the marriage. These findings suggest that the recognition of positive parenting contributes to the well-being of sons and daughters, and makes them less likely to be depressed.
