The Role of Good Parenting in Mental Health: How parenting styles influence children's emotional well-being.

Being a parent is a thought that is somehow beautiful, bringing a smile to our faces, and scary because it's a responsibility you have to take for life. When we think about being a parent, what do we think? We think, 'Oh, I'm going to love my child so much, I'm going to teach them this and that, oh, my kids are not going to do that, I'm not going to allow so much screen time, I'm going to be their friend, and much more.' Right?

Call it an Instinct but everybody wants to be a parent someday, ah a beautiful thought of having someone they can call their own. But the problem here is everybody does not know how to be a parent, Yet everybody thinks they are the best parents in the world. You might believe that all parents love their children and want the best for them, which is generally true—but not everyone parents the same way. Let's first see, what are the different parenting styles and then we'll see what kind of parent you are and how you are influencing your kid.

1. Authoritative parenting

   Authoritative parenting balances warmth, flexibility, and clear authority. Parents explain rules, listen to children’s opinions, and set expectations while maintaining final decision-making authority. This style fosters nurturing relationships, helping children grow into confident, responsible, and emotionally capable individuals who are curious, friendly, and achievement-oriented.

   Now the question is if you have an Authoritative parenting style, how is that going to influence your child.

   Research shows that children raised by authoritative parents tend to have high self-esteem, emotional stability, and resilience. They are better equipped to navigate challenges and thrive in academic, social, and personal settings (Singh, 2017).

2. Permissive parenting

   Permissive parents are warm, nurturing, and highly involved but set few rules or expectations. While this fosters high self-esteem and strong social skills, it often leads to impulsivity, poor self-regulation, and lack of preparedness for adulthood.

   Permissive parenting seems cool and fun, it's the kind of parenting every kid would want but is it really cool? We want our children to have the experiences of life but at the same time we have to build them and prepare them for the world and trust me the world is not Permissive. Permissive parenting enhances self-concept but lowers emotional intelligence (Gao, Li, Liang, Zhou, Zhu, & Bai (2024) ). It can reduce psychological resilience, making children struggle with failure( Verma & Raj (2024). It is also linked to poor self-discipline and academic challenges ( Singh (2017).

3. Authoritarian parenting:

   Authoritarian parenting is characterized by strict rules, high expectations, and punishment to enforce discipline. While children raised this way tend to follow instructions and behave well, they often struggle with fear of punishment, poor decision-making skills, and weak social abilities. - Authoritarian parenting is linked to low self-esteem and increased anxiety in children Singh (2017), so it's not always them, it can be ‘you’ who is causing them the anxiety. It negatively affects emotional intelligence and psychological resilience (Verma & Raj (2024). Your kid might have problems expressing emotions, they might find it difficult to emphasize in future. While this style of parenting can indeed enforce discipline, it lacks the emotional support necessary for well-being (Adu, Kobina, Arkorful, & Nyasapoh (2024). Authoritarian parenting reduces self-concept and emotional intelligence, making children less adaptable. (Gao et al. (2024)

   Authoritarian parenting can hinder emotional growth. We think we are raising strong disciplined kids but we are unaware of the fact that they are becoming emotionally weak. They might lack confidence and they'll always try to find an authority figure to rely on.

4. Neglectful parenting

   Neglectful parenting, also known as uninvolved parenting, is characterized by meeting basic needs while offering minimal attention, nurturing, or guidance. This style is often unintentional, driven by factors like work stress, single parenting, or mental health struggles. Children often learn to take care of themselves due to the lack of parental involvement. They may have difficulty regulating emotions and lack effective coping mechanisms. Maintaining healthy relationships can be problematic, as they often have low self-esteem and may seek guidance from inappropriate role models.

   Neglectful parenting is strongly associated with low self-esteem and poor mental health outcomes in children. Singh (2017) . It can lead to emotional detachment and difficulty forming connections due to the lack of parental support(Verma & Raj (2024). Emotional well-being suffers significantly, leading to poor academic and social performance (Adu, Kobina, Arkorful, & Nyasapoh (2024). Neglectful parenting impedes the development of emotional intelligence and self-concept, which are vital for personal and social growth. (Gao et al. (2024)

   Nobody is born a parent, but we all have to learn to be one. You know that you love your children, you know they mean the world to you but they need to know that.You need to remind your child more often that they are loved. Your child should be able to talk to you. We all mess up, we all make mistakes and we all should have at least one person in our lives who won't judge us or beat us up for making one. We all know that we don't learn from the lectures we learn from experience.

References:

Adu, G. A., Kobina, E., Arkorful, K., & Nyasapoh, C. A. (2024). Relationship between parenting styles and emotional well-being on senior high school student’s academic activities in Asikuma Odoben-Brakwa district. International Journal of Advanced Academic Studies.

Gao, T., Li, B., Liang, S., Zhou, W., Zhu, X., & Bai, L. (2024). How parenting styles affect primary school students' subjective well-being: The mediating role of self-concept and emotional intelligence. Frontiers in Psychology, 15.

Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). What parenting style is right for you? Mayo Clinic Press. Retrieved January 28, 2025, from

https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/parenting/what-parenting-style-is-right-for-you/

Singh, S. (2017). Parenting style in relation to children's mental health and self-esteem: A review of literature. Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, 8(12).

Umoren, O. A., & Owiriwa, N. C. (2018). Influence of domestic violence and parenting style on children's psychological well-being. Gender and Behaviour, 16(1), 12855-12869.

Verma, C., & Raj, R. (2024). Effect of parenting styles on mental well-being and emotional intelligence in young adults. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches in Psychology, 2(5), 1728-1743.

Written by Mehreen Jan

Kashmir, India.