Assessing the Impact of Parental Expectations and Psychological Distress on Taiwanese College Students

Current research seems to underscore the impact of parental expectations on college students’ psychological distress. This study examined whether parental expectations or living up to parental expectations served as better predictors on Taiwanese college students’ psychological distress. Study 1 developed and validated a scale for measuring parental expectations and living up to parental expectations. Results supported the factorial validity and reliability of the scale. The results of Study 2 suggested that perceiving oneself as living up to parental expectations, rather than parental expectations per se, is a better predictor of psychological distress. Implications of the results for counseling interventions as well as further research are discussed.