Abstract
Parents are the primary agents in the development and definition of the self. Previous research has reported nurturance as the most notable parental factor in global self-esteem. This study examined the relationship of parental nurturance to self-esteem for the first time with subjects older than high school students. College students (N=333) completed the 76-item Parental Nurturance Scale and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. The results revealed that 43 percent of the variance in self-esteem for women and 30 percent of the variance for men were associated with parental nurturance. Father's nurturance was as important as mother's nurturance to the self-esteem of both men and women. The demonstrated relationship between parental nurturance and self-esteem is noteworthy since it has been shown to persist after children have moved away from home and gone to college. Individual item response/self-esteem correlation coefficients were significant. Results confirmed the unitary nature of the Parental Nurturance Scale. (Tables of the correlations for item responses and self-esteem on the Mother's and Father's Nurturance Scales are included.) (ABL)