Do mothers treat children who are similar to them better? The relation between maternal–adolescent neuroticism congruence and a punitive parenting style

Parenting style is the relatively stable behaviors parents display during the childrearing process. It is an important factor in children’s socialization and the mother–child relationship. The present study aimed to test the relationship between maternal–adolescent neuroticism congruence and a punitive parenting style. A total of 882 Chinese adolescents and their mothers participated in this study. The results showed that maternal–adolescent high-neuroticism congruence was associated with a more punitive parenting style than low-neuroticism congruence. The more incongruent the maternal–adolescent neuroticism was, the less punitive the parenting style. There were moderating effects of adolescent gender on maternal–adolescent neuroticism congruence/incongruence and punitive parenting style. These findings provide a new perspective for exploring the relationship between parent–child interaction and parenting styles.