Abstract
The present research explored the degree of perceived parental acceptance-rejection and its impact on psychological adjustment in a group of 81 convicts (40 men & 41 women) with mean age = 37.2 (SD = 13.77) years. They were selected from the Central Jail, Peshawar. For comparison, 90 normal (45 men and 45 women) having mean age = 36.23 (SD = 12.68), were selected from the general population. Short form of Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (Adult PARQ: Father & Mother), Parental Control Scale (Adult PCS: Father & Mother), and Personality Assessment Questionnaire (Adult PAQ) by Rohner and Khaleque (2008), translated into Urdu by Riaz (2011) were used for assessment. Results revealed that convicts perceived more parental rejection than normal. Multiple regression analysis showed that parental rejection, specifically parental indifference/neglect, is a significant predictor of psychological maladjustment among convicts. In addition, both men and women convicts described their parents as exercising lax and highly permissive mode of disciplining behaviors.