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Conceptualising the Relationship between Maternal Parenting Style and Adolescent Self-Esteem: A Pragmatic Approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2013

Olivia E. Boer  and
Peter J. Tranent
Olivia E. Boer*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia
Peter J. Tranent
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Olivia Boer, School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Locked Bag 1342, Launceston, Tasmania, 7250. Email: Olivia.Boer@utas.edu.au
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Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between adolescent self-esteem and maternal parenting style, using the four-style typology identified by Maccoby and Martin (1983). Additionally, the researchers considered whether it was more pragmatic to conceptualise parenting style as two separate co-occurring dimensions of parenting: responsiveness and demandingness. Male and female adolescents (N = 140, mean age 14.73 years, 64% female) completed questionnaires measuring perceived maternal responsiveness and demandingness, and self-esteem. Consistent with previous research, differences were found between the four parenting styles for adolescent self-esteem. However, maternal responsiveness was demonstrated to be the only significant predictor of adolescent self-esteem (p < .001). The researchers concluded that considering responsiveness and demandingness as separate dimensions, rather than combining them to form discrete categories, provided a more accurate and practical conceptualisation of the relationship between maternal parenting style and adolescent self-esteem.

Keywords

parenting styleadolescentself-esteem
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 4 , 25 October 2013 , e5
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

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