Perceived authoritarian parenting during childhood and elder abuse tendencies in adulthood: internalized resentment as a mediating mechanism

The present study examined the relationships among perceived authoritarian parenting (PAP) during childhood, internalized resentment (IR), psychological abuse toward elderly parents (PAEP), and passive elder neglect (PEN) among adults in Pakistan. It further investigated the mediating role of IR in the associations between early parenting experiences and later caregiving behaviors. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, and data were collected from 847 adults using self-report measures. Structural equation modeling revealed that PAP was positively associated with IR, PAEP, and PEN. IR also showed strong positive associations with both forms of elder mistreatment. Mediation analysis indicated that IR significantly mediated the associations between PAP and PAEP and PEN, supporting the proposed theoretical model. The results indicate that perceived early autonomy-restrictive parenting is associated with long-term emotional and behavioral outcomes in family systems. These findings have important implications for understanding elder abuse within intergenerational family relationships and for informing family counseling interventions.