Perceived Parenting Styles and College Student’s Psychosocial Adjustment

Abstract

Lionel K Asare

Extant literature has established the impact that parenting has on the development of children within specific domains of behavioral outcomes such as deviance, being prone to depression among others. However, there are unanswered questions regarding the role that parenting styles play in the development of psychosocial skills in emerging adults. This study assessed retrospective information from college students(n=138) about their parents’ parenting styles during their early years of life and how it impacted the development of their perceived self-esteem, self-efficacy, and academic self-efficacy. Results showed that, the optimal environment for parenting that is likely to yield positive psychosocial variables provides parental responsiveness and involvement. This study further showed that, even though parents may show a higher level of involvement and responsiveness to their children, should these variables coincide with a higher level of parental pressure this has a tendency to neutralize the positive effects of parental responsiveness and involvement.