A new study has found that parent-child bonding, which produces strong interpersonal and social skills, can give children a more positive psychological development. Through healthy and active engagement with adults, children develop their own affiliation systems through their connection to the world of people.

Lead researcher Mark F. Lenzenweger said that a lack of this bond can seriously impair children's ability to connect with other human beings. This impairment is a good predictor of the appearance of schizoid personality disorder symptoms in emerging adulthood and beyond.

Parent-child bonding can take place in the form of activities such as playing and sleeping together, doing homework and art, and eating together. These equip children with tools that give them greater behavioural and mental health later in life. Open lines of communication between parent and child also enhance the child's perception of the parent caring for them. Parents' physical and mental states are also important. Substance abuse problems, for example, may impair parent-child interactions.

A good parent-child relationship is also associated with children's enhanced socialization skills and personality adjustments, helping them to connect with others more. The willingness to socialize is the psychological foundation of human experience. For those with weaker bonds with their parents, the willingness to socialize is lower.

The implications of these findings suggest that good parent-child bonding can significantly reduce the chances of personality disorders in adulthood.