Effect of Parenting Styles on the Social Emotional Wellbeing of Tertiary Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Roundtable Session 10: Student Learning and Development in College and Beyond

Abstract

This study examined the effects of parenting styles on the social-emotional wellbeing of 300 tertiary students in Ghana using a cross-sectional survey. Parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive) and wellbeing were measured with validated scales, with gender and academic level as covariates. Structural equation modeling in R revealed significant covariances among parenting styles. Permissive parenting (β = 0.564, p = .009) and gender (β = 0.223, p = .004) significantly predicted wellbeing, while authoritarian parenting approached significance (β = 0.706, p = .054). Findings highlight the influence of parenting on wellbeing, challenging universal assumptions about authoritative parenting and informing culturally responsive student support strategies.

Authors

• Ruth Keziah Annan-Brew, University of Cape Coast

• Eric Anane, University of Cape Coast

• Ebenezer Takyi-Wadieh, Ohio University

• Enoch Tsey, University of Cape Coast

• Cletus Owusu Yeboah, Ohio University