Mommy’s boys are less likely to suffer from poor mental health or unpopularity at school, research suggests.

And the same is true for daddy’s girls, who enjoy a similar lift in their self-esteem and confidence.

The study by the U.K. Marriage Foundation concluded that boys and girls who are close to their parent of the opposite sex fare better at coping with teenage life.

Boys deemed “extremely close” to their mothers at 14 are 41 percent less likely to have mental health problems, the research found.

And girls close to their fathers are 44 percent less likely to suffer emotional problems or have trouble with their peers.

The analysis, which uses Millennium Cohort Study data from 11,000 mothers, found that the biggest factor affecting teenage mental health was family breakdown.

Harry Benson, research director of Marriage Foundation, who co-authored the study with professor Steve McKay from the University of Lincoln, said, “Our analysis shows once again that family breakdown remains the number one driver of teenage mental health problems.

“Our really interesting new finding is that boys and girls are especially influenced by their relationship with the opposite-sex parent. Boys who are close to their mom tend to have better mental health, as do girls who are close to their dad.

“The fact that these links only apply to one parent and not both suggests that it’s the closeness with parents that affects the child’s mental health and not the other way around.”

Sir Paul Coleridge, chairman of Marriage Foundation, said, “Mommy’s boys and daddy’s girls have been known about for generations as something of a stereotypical joke. But it seems that once again research supports anecdotal experience. Girls and boys, as they develop, do indeed have differing emotional needs and expectations and do best when these needs are satisfied.”

A strong relationship with the parent of the opposite sex boosts self-esteem and peer group relationship skills — both of which support sound mental health.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【不受欢迎】búshòu huānyíng unpopularity being generally disliked

【个案的】gèàn de anecdotal based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis

研究显示，妈宝男不太容易出现心理健康问题，而且在学校人缘也不错。

爸宝女也是如此。她们的自尊和自信程度也都较高。

英国婚姻基金会开展的这项研究得出结论称，与妈妈关系亲密的男孩和与爸爸关系亲密的女孩更适应青春期。

研究发现，被认为与妈妈“非常亲近”的14岁男孩出现心理健康问题的几率会降低41%。

与父亲关系亲近的女孩出现情绪问题或与同龄人交流问题的几率要低44%。

这项分析使用了千禧世代研究中来自1.1万名母亲的数据。结果发现，影响青少年心理健康的最大因素是家庭破裂。

婚姻基金会的研究主管哈里•本森说：“我们的分析再次显示，家庭破裂对青少年心理健康影响最大。”他和林肯大学的史蒂夫•麦凯教授共同撰写了这份研究报告。

“我们真正有趣的新发现是，男孩受妈妈影响大，女孩受爸爸影响大。”

“和妈妈关系亲密的男孩以及和爸爸亲密的女孩心理更健康。”

“这种关系只体现在父母中的一方，而不是双方，这表明是孩子与父母的亲密关系在影响着孩子的心理状况，而不是孩子的心理状况在影响其与父母的关系。”

婚姻基金会主席保罗-科尔里奇爵士说：

“长久以来，妈宝男和爸宝女总是受人嘲笑。”

“但似乎这项研究再次证实了这个经验之谈。随着女孩和男孩的成长，他们的情感需求和期望不同，当他们的需求得到满足时，他们的表现最好。”

母子以及父女之间的亲密关系可以提升孩子的自尊心，提高他们与同龄人的相处能力，这都有助于心理健康。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)