Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the features of role acceptance and parental role behaviors of the parents of children with neuroses, and the influence of role acceptance and parental role behavior on family function and the mental health of children. The clinical group comprised 14 sets of parents and children with neuroses from grades 5 to 9. The control group comprised 140 sets of parents and normal children from grades 5 to 9. The following results were obtained. There were no differences in role acceptance at work and at home between the two groups. The clinical group reported lower levels of paternal confidence in their nurturing and maternal acceptance of their child than the control group. In the clinical group, paternal role acceptance at work and at home had significantly positive associations with the social functions of children. In contrast, maternal role acceptance at work and at home was not significantly associated with the children's variables. Paternal acceptance of the children, confidence in their nurturing, and facilitation of independence had significantly positive associations with the mental health of the children. Maternal confidence in their nurturing and facilitation of independence also had a significantly positive association with the mental health of the children. However, acceptance of the child had a significantly negative association with the mental health of the children. There was no difference in the child-evaluated family function between the two groups. In the control group, parental acceptance of the children had a significantly positive association with the child-evaluated family function. On the other hand, parents' variables were not associated with the child-evaluated family function in the clinical group.
