Sense of entitlement as a link between the influence of indulgent and inconsistent parenting on the perpetration of sexual coercion

Abstract

The current study examines the impact of family of origin factors such as warmth and hostility between parents, inconsistent parenting, and overparenting during childhood on the perpetration of sexual coercion during emerging adulthood while examining feelings of entitlement as a possible mediator. Data from 711 undergraduate students were analyzed separately by gender using structural equation modeling. Results show that warmth and hostility between parents is significantly related to parenting behaviors (i.e., overparenting and inconsistent parenting) and that hostility between parents is associated with the perpetration of sexual coercion by the offspring in emerging adulthood for males. Also, findings suggest that while overparenting and inconsistent parenting during childhood is not directly associated with the perpetration of sexual coercion during emerging adulthood, they are strongly related to feelings of entitlement, which in turn was found to be associated with the perpetration of sexual coercion for males.