Research on Parenting by Lying (PBL) in childhood is relatively new in the field, with studies that have found significant associations between parenting by lying and other constructs including lying to parents, psychosocial behaviors, antisocial personality problems, and externalizing behaviors among the youth (e.g., Santos et al., 2017). This study sought to investigate the associations between Parenting by lying, belief in childhood fantasy characters (e.g., Santa Claus), and the personality of youth. Young adults (N = 207) responded to questions regarding the parenting strategies they experienced, and fantasy characters they believed in during childhood. Two unique factors emerged from the exploratory factor analyses (EFA) ran on the fantasy character scale (age of discovery versus reactions to truth). Results indicated that Parenting by lying was significantly and positively associated with neuroticism, while age of discovery was significantly and negatively associated with extraversion. These findings suggest that both parenting by lying, and belief in childhood fantasy characters may be uniquely associated with personality outcomes in young adulthood. Secondly, findings from the exploratory factor analyses provide a foundation for future research in this new area.
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