TY - JOUR
T1 - Parental lying to children
T2 - A systematic review
AU - Roza, Emma
AU - Lucieer, Ines
AU - van de Bongardt, Daphne
AU - Luijk, Maartje
AU - Kok, Rianne
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Family Theory & Review published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Council for Family Relations.
PY - 2024/10/23
Y1 - 2024/10/23
N2 - Parents lie to their children, for example, to influence children's behavior and emotions (parenting by lying). The aim of this systematic review was to describe the current scientific literature on parental lying, including its prevalence, correlates, conceptualizations, and operationalizations. Through an extensive literature search using PRISMA guidelines, 23 eligible peer-reviewed empirical papers on parental lying have been found. Many parents are found to lie to their children. However, existing research is characterized by a heterogeneous and narrow conceptualization and operationalization of parental lying, and a focus on problems. Following this, the current empirical evidence points mostly toward associations with maladaptive development. Following a critical analysis of the studies, future research should implement broader conceptualizations and operationalizations of parental lying in non-retrospective, experimental, or prospective longitudinal research designs on maladaptive and adaptive correlates, to determine the significance of parental lying for children.
AB - Parents lie to their children, for example, to influence children's behavior and emotions (parenting by lying). The aim of this systematic review was to describe the current scientific literature on parental lying, including its prevalence, correlates, conceptualizations, and operationalizations. Through an extensive literature search using PRISMA guidelines, 23 eligible peer-reviewed empirical papers on parental lying have been found. Many parents are found to lie to their children. However, existing research is characterized by a heterogeneous and narrow conceptualization and operationalization of parental lying, and a focus on problems. Following this, the current empirical evidence points mostly toward associations with maladaptive development. Following a critical analysis of the studies, future research should implement broader conceptualizations and operationalizations of parental lying in non-retrospective, experimental, or prospective longitudinal research designs on maladaptive and adaptive correlates, to determine the significance of parental lying for children.
U2 - 10.1111/jftr.12592
DO - 10.1111/jftr.12592
M3 - Review article
SN - 1756-2570
VL - 16
SP - 1
EP - 30
JO - Journal of Family Theory and Review
JF - Journal of Family Theory and Review
IS - 4
ER -