Authoritarian Parenting, Emotional Regulation and Mental Health: Students in Perspective

Abstract

Child rearing strategies have vital impact on child’s emotional and psychological development, authoritarian parenting, can be defined as child rearing practices that demands high and low emotional warmth, and it is linked with unfavorable outcomes. Current study explored the association among authoritarian parenting, psychological well-being and emotional regulation of university students. 250 participants were approached by using convenient sampling technique. Parenting Styles Questionnaire by Edward & Fabella (2022), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire by Gross & John (2003), and Psychological Well-being Questionnaire by Ryff (1995) were used for data collection. Result showed that students who scored high on authoritarian parenting showed lower psychological well-being and poor emotional regulation. Students with authoritarian parenting styles were found to use suppression strategies more frequently than reappraisal strategies. This research highlights the need for interventions aimed at improving emotional regulation and psychological well-being, particularly among those raised in authoritarian environments.