Impact of Authoritarian Parenting Style on Neuroticism in Patients with Bipolar II Disorder: Mediating Influence of Maladaptive Coping Strategies

Authors

Ruhma Naeem Lecturer, Department of Applied Psychology, Islamia University Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan
Fozia Akram Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, Govt. College University Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

Authoritarian Parenting Style, Neuroticism, Maladaptive Coping Strategies, Bipolar II Disorder, Healthy Controls

The objective of the present research was to examine the mediating influence of

maladaptive coping strategies in the relationship between authoritarian parenting style

and neuroticism among patients with Bipolar II Disorder. A matched pair sample was

employed to compare patients with healthy controls in this comparative study. Data were

collected through purposive sampling technique from 120 adults (60 patients with Bipolar

II Disorder and 60 healthy controls). Diagnosed patients were recruited from hospitals on

referral, with a controlled duration of illness (6 months to 3 years), and were further

examined by the researcher through clinical interviews and mental state examinations.

Healthy controls were selected from the community and educational institutions, matched

with patients on age (18-40 years), gender (equal dissemination), and education (matric to

graduation) to ensure comparability. Three Urdu-translated self-report measures were

used; the parental authority questionnaire (Kausar & Shafique, 2008), the Big Five

Inventory (Raiha, 2012), and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Butt,

Khawer, Malik, & Sanam, 2012). The results indicated that there was significant positive

impact of authoritarian parenting in constructing the contrary personality of patients with

bipolar II disorder. Furthermore, the mediation analysis confirmed the influence of

maladaptive coping strategies in the relationship between authoritarian parenting and

neuroticism. Findings also indicated significant group differences: patients with Bipolar II

Disorder scored higher on authoritarian parenting, neuroticism, and maladaptive coping

strategies compared to healthy controls. Moreover, patients relied more heavily on

maladaptive coping strategies than healthy controls. The study holds important

implications for clinicians, providing deeper insight into the role of parenting and coping

mechanisms in shaping the personality and psychopathology of individuals with Bipolar

II Disorder, thereby facilitating more effective management strategies.