Poster #50 - Parental Lying and its Parental, Child, and Family System Correlates: A Systematic Review

• In Event: Poster Session 19

Abstract

Introduction: Lying by adults and children received considerable research attention in the past decades (e.g., Gerlach et al., 2019; Talwar & Crossman, 2011). Yet, lying by parents specifically sparked research interest after the work of Heyman et al. (2009), showing that most parents lie to their children to influence their behavior and emotions – a phenomenon called parenting by lying. Various empirical studies investigated parental lying and its correlates, to learn more about the families in which parental lying is practiced and its associations with child development. However, as conceptualizations of parental lying differ across studies and findings have not yet been synthesized, the current knowledge base and gaps in our knowledge are unclear. With this systematic review of quantitative empirical studies, we will describe (1) how parental lying is conceptualized and operationalized, (2) the prevalence of parental lying, and (3) parental, child, and family system correlates of parental lying.
Methods: After pre-registering this study on OSF (link masked for review purposes), we conducted systematic literature searches in PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Social Services Abstracts and Web of Science in July 2022, using various keywords combinations related to (a) parent, (b) lying, and (c) child, yielding 5516 unique records. Quantitative empirical studies measuring parental lying and correlates will be included when published in a peer-reviewed journal and written in English. After screening, potential additional studies will be traced through backward citation search and by contacting key authors of eligible papers. This systematic review will be prepared according to the PRISMA guidelines.
Preliminary Results: Preliminary analyses of a subsample of studies (for study characteristics, see Table 1) showed heterogeneity in the conceptualization and operationalization of parental lying (Aim 1; for all preliminary results, see Table 2). While most studies distinguish parental lies based on their intentions (e.g., lies told to influence children’s behavior versus emotions) and content (e.g., lies about eating, staying/leaving, children’s misbehavior, and spending money), another study made a distinction based on types of lies (e.g., omission, failed deception, half-truth, white lie, distortion, and blatant lie). Despite this heterogeneity, the retrospective studies showed that most parents (78-96%) lied to their children at least once during their childhood (Aim 2) and identified some significant parental and child correlates (Aim 3). For example, Asian American parents lied more often to their children to promote behavioral compliance compared to European American parents and parents who were most punitive about lying, as compared to other transgressions, were more likely to lie to their children. In addition, retrospective recall of parental lying was related to less secure parent-child attachment, lower parent-child relationship satisfaction, more frequent lying to parents, and more internalizing, externalizing and psychopathy problems. No family system significant correlates were reported.
Discussion: This study will critically reflect upon the existing body of research on parental lying and will provide valuable input for future research and prevention and intervention programs.
Planning: At the SRCD 2023 Biennial Meeting, results and conclusions of this study will be presented.

Authors

• Emma Charlotte Anne Roza, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Presenting Author

• Ines Constance Lucieer, Erasmus University Rotterdam

• Daphne van de Bongardt, Erasmus University Rotterdam

• Maartje Luijk

• Rianne Kok, Erasmus University Rotterdam