Kadın ve Erkeklerde Olumsuz Değerlendirilme Korkusunun Belirlenmesinde Algılanan Ebeveyn Tutumları ve Benlik Saygısının Rolü
Sinem CankardaşThe Role of Self-Esteem and Perceived Parental Attitudes in Determining Fear of Negative Evaluation in Men and Women
Sinem CankardaşRecent studies in the field of social anxiety disorder (SAD) show that both individual and environmental factors play a role in the development of the disorder (Spence & Rappee, 2016). In some studies, parenting style is considered a potential moderator in the relationship between social anxiety and temperament (Lewis-Morrarty et al., 2012; Rubin, Burgess, & Hastings, 2002). It could be said that the parent’s positive attitude towards the child can serve as a buffer against genetic predisposition, while his/her negative attitudes may increase the risk of developing social anxiety.
According to DSM-5, one of the key determinants of SAD is excessive worry about being evaluated or criticized by others (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Although there are some studies suggesting that fear of negative evaluation (FNE) is related to body dysmorphic disorder, eating disorders and shyness (Gilbert & Meyer, 2005a; Gilbert & Meyer, 2005b; Menatti, Deboer, Weeks, & Heimberg, 2015 ; Miller, 1995; Trompeter et al., 2018); Levinson and Rodebaugh (2012) stated that all these disorders may arise as a result of SAD.
In the literature, there are few studies pointing to the cultural factors and gender expectations in terms of the etiology of the FNE. The aim of this study was to examine the role of parental attitudes and self-esteem on the FNE.
Method
Participants
The study sample consisted of 230 undergraduate students (125 of which were women) who participated voluntarily. Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 30 with a mean age of 21.1 (SD = 1.9) and 98.3% of the participants were single (N = 226).
Measures
In the study, the participants’ age, gender, and marital status were found using a demographic questionnaire. The Perceived Parental Attitudes Scale (Arrindell et al., 1999; Dirik et al., 2015), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965; Çuhadaroğlu, 1986) and the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (Çetin, Doğan, & Sapmaz, 2010; Leary, 1983) were used.
Results
The research was conducted in two stages. In the first step, perceived parental attitudes of men and women were compared. In the second step, the predictors of the FNE for women and men were tested by regression analysis. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the perceived emotional warmth (t(228) = 2.18, p < .05) and rejection (t(228) = 2.76, p < .05) of women and men. It was seen that women perceived more emotional warmth (M = 41.75, SD = 7.95) than men (M = 39.42, SD = 8.26). Furthermore, men perceived more rejective paternal and maternal attitudes (M = 20.14, SD = 6.31) than women (M = 18.15, SD = 4.58). The results showed FNE and self-esteem (r(228) = .30, p < .001); rejective attitudes (r(228) = .25, p < .001) and overprotective attitudes (r(228) = .20, p < .05) were positively correlated. Multiple regression analysis showed that while self-esteem predicts FNE significantly for women (R2 = .12, F(3, 121)= 5.69, p < .01); the only significant predictor was overprotective attitudes for men (R2 = .17, F(3, 101)= 7.02, p < .001).
Discussion
In this study, it was observed that the variables which affect the development of FNE are different for women and men. While low self-esteem increased the risk of FNE fourfold in women, self-esteem did not appear to be a determinant of FNE in men. For men, overprotective parenting was the only significant predictor of FNE. According to traditional gender norms, men are expected to be independent and strong. Thus, autonomy supressing and over controlling parental attitudes would affect men negatively who were expected to be more independent.
The effect of self-esteem on FNE for women can also be explained in the context of gender roles. In terms of gender roles, the self-concept of women and men differs according to the way they define themselves (Biolcati, 2017). While women define themselves in relation to others; men define themselves by focusing on how they are independent from others (Cross & Madson, 1997; Marcic & Grum, 2011). This study was conducted with an adult population which required participants to recall childhood memories. It is believed that longitudinal studies on the adverse effects of parental attitudes would help more to explain the relationship between the development of self and FNE. This is the first study which highlights gender role differences in the etiology of FNE in the field. It is hoped that this study will lead to further studies addressing the effect of gender roles on the development of FNE. The results of this study indicate that performing different interventions to prevent the development of the FNE in women and men would be more appropriate. It is believed that education programs which aim to develop positive parental attitudes among parents can be effective for men. Women on the other hand, might benefit more from individual interventions to improve self-esteem.