Differential Parental Treatment and Parent–Child Relationships: A Cluster Analysis Approach

Parents aim to establish positive and harmonious relationships with their children, regardless of age. Parental differential treatment is likely to influence the quality of parent–child relationships. Moreover, female and male college students may react differently to parental differential treatment in the context of these relationships. Therefore, the current study explored whether perceived maternal and paternal closeness and discord differ among interparental clusters of parental differential treatment when analyzed in relation to the gender of college students. The participants were 316 college students from a northeastern university who had at least one sibling. Their ages ranged from 19 to 25 years. Participants rated how differently their parents treated them and their siblings and then assessed their relationships with their parents. A cluster analysis identified three groups: equal, favored, and disfavored treatment. Further analyses indicated that participants in the disfavored cluster reported poorer relationships with both parents. In contrast, those who perceived favored or equal treatment reported higher-quality parent–child relationships. Additionally, females and males tend to respond differently to disfavored treatment; specifically, females experience more conflicts with their fathers. These findings can inform family counselors and guide future research on the impact of differential treatment on parent-child relationships.