Adults who were lied to as children are more likely to lie to their parents in adulthood, reveals a recent study led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU). The study, conducted by NTU in collaboration with Toronto (Canada), California, San Diego (USA), and Zhejiang Normal (China) universities, found that lied-to children also face social and emotional adjustment problems in adulthood.

For the study, NTU researchers asked 379 Singaporean young adults whether their parents lied to them when they were children, how much they lie to their parents now, and how well they adjust to adulthood challenges. The results analysis found that parenting by lying could place children at a greater risk of developing socio-emotional problems such as aggression, rule-breaking and intrusive behaviour. “Parenting by lying can seem to save time especially when the real reasons behind why parents want children to do something is complicated to explain. But such behaviour can send conflicting messages to their children. Parents’ dishonesty may eventually erode trust and promote dishonesty in children,” says Prof. Setoh Peipei of NTU’s School of Social Sciences and lead author of the study.

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