Parenting style and psychosocial outcomes in a sample of Jamaican adolescents

Abstract

We examined the relationship between parenting style and adolescents' psychological and behavioural well-being in the Jamaican context. Consistent with pertinent studies from western societies, our data indicated that authoritarian parenting was associated with diminished psychological and behavioural adjustment, such that adolescents who reported their parents as more authoritarian also reported a greater risk of anger depression, suicide ideation, and conduct problems. Further, gender moderated the effect of authoritarian parenting on conduct problems, with the association being significantly greater for boys than for girls. Additionally, adolescents' agreement with parents' style of parenting moderated the association between authoritarian parenting and adolescents' psychological distress, such that when adolescents disagreed with their parents' parenting behaviours, adolescents were more likely to exhibit psychosocial problems. We discussed our findings within the context of cultural socialisation processes and the probable influence of globalisation on traditional cultural values and attitudes. We also noted implications for social policies. © 2013 Taylor and Francis.