They may be the stereotypical butt of jokes. But mummy's boys are less likely to suffer from poor mental health or unpopularity at school, research suggests.

这听上去像是老套的笑话，但研究显示，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。

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

The study by the 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.

While boys are happier when their parents are married, girls are more reassured by their parents demonstrating a high-quality relationship.

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