The investigation of the relationship between parents' positive childhood experiences and parenting attitudes

The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between parents' positive childhood experiences and their parenting attitudes. The study also examined whether parents' positive childhood experiences and parenting attitudes differ based on various demographic variables. The population of the research conducted using a correlational survey design consists of parents who have children attending middle school and living in Turkey. The sample of the research consists of 313 parents with an age range between 31 and 64, and a mean age of 41.94. The participants were selected using a convenient sampling method. In the research, a Personal Information Form was used to determine the demographic characteristics of the parents. The Positive Childhood Experiences Scale (PCES) was used to assess positive childhood experiences, and the Parental Attitude Scale-C Form (PAS-C) was used to measure the attitudes exhibited by parents towards their children.Parametric statistical tests, specifically independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), were used in the research as the collected data met the assumption of normality. The interrelationships between concepts were calculated using the Pearson correlation coefficient, also known as the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. With the significant correlation between variables, a simple regression analysis was conducted. The data was analyzed using the SPSS-22 software package. According to the research findings, a significant difference was found between parents' positive childhood experiences and the sub-dimension of parenting attitude, specifically the democratic attitude. Positive childhood experiences predict democratic parenting attitudes. In the scope of the study, it is observed that the variables under consideration only differ in terms of the sub-dimension of democratic attitude, based on age. The results indicate a significant difference in the scores of parents' democratic attitude sub-dimension based on their parental roles. Significant differences were found in all sub-dimensions of parenting attitudes based on parents' educational levels. The results of the study indicate that the variables under consideration only differ in terms of the sub-dimension of authoritarian attitude based on the place where childhood was spent.