Moms' Favouritism Affects Kids Life

By Religare

Friday, June 25, 2010, 18:13

Mothers are the life support for the kids when they are young. Recent study says that a mother who show more love and care to a particular child can depress other children of the same family indicating depressive symptoms by the time they reach middle age.

The result from 275 Boston-area families is the first to show such harmful effects and extent up to adulthood

Earlier studies had also shown that parental favouritism negatively affects childrens' mentality and often results in behavioural problems in varied ages.

"Perceived favouritism from one's mother still matters to a child's psychological well-being, even if they have been living for years outside the parental home and have started families of their own," says Cornell University gerontologist Karl Pillemer.

"It doesn't matter whether you are the chosen child or not, the perception of unequal treatment has damaging effects for all siblings," Pillemer adds.

The study controlling family size, race and other factors had conducted an interviews with 275 mothers in their 60s and 70s who had two adult children. Researchers also studied on 671 offspring women.

The findings could lead to new therapies for practitioners who work with later-families, Pillemer says.
"We have a powerful norm in our society that parents should treat kids equally, so favouritism can be something of a taboo topic. If counsellors can help older parents and adult children bring some of these issues into the open, it may help prevent family conflict from arising," he says.