Researchers found that people who reported their parents had intruded¹ on their privacy in childhood or encouraged dependence² were more likely to have low scores in surveys of happiness and general wellbeing carried out in their teens, their 30s, their 40s and even their 60s.

 

The negative impact on wellbeing was comparable in scale to that observed in people who have suffered a bereavement³, experts from University College London (UCL) said.

 

In contrast, people who said their parents were more caring, warm and responsive to their needs tended to be more content well into adulthood⁴.

 

The findings are the culmination⁵ of a survey which has tracked more than 5,000 people since their birth in 1946. It is well-established that childhood influences can have profound effect on the developing brain, but this is one of the first studies that have attempted to measure their impact over such a long period of time.

 

Information on parenting styles was only available from the study participants themselves, who were asked to recall their childhoods when in their 40s, and may therefore suffer from a degree of so-called recall bias⁶ - unhappy people may be more likely to depict⁷ their parents as controlling.

 

However the researchers said the findings chimed with previous studies which have shown that children who are able to form secure emotional bonds with parents are more likely to have secure, happy relationships later in life.

 

Examples of psychologically controlling behaviour identified by the study included invasions of children's privacy and an unwillingness⁸ to let children make their own decisions, and fostering dependence upon one or both parents.

 

Separately, study participants were asked about behavioural control, which included elements of parenting that involve not letting children get their own way: for example, not always allowing them to go out as often as they would like. No links with psychological wellbeing were observed in relation to this kind of parenting.

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