Parenting Style and Psychological Well-being of Secondary School Children

The quality of parent-child interaction is critical to child development. Parental communication of warmth tends to impact the development of emotional control, identity, and components of personality, which contribute to positive mental health. This cross-sectional survey aimed to determine the effects of parenting style on the psychological well-being of secondary school children. Three hundred students selected from five Secondary Schools in Amuwo-Odofin Local Area Council of Lagos State participated in the study. They ranged between 13-19 years (X= 15.51± 3.95) in age. 201 (67%) were female, 99(33%) were male. Participants completed the PAQ (Baumrind, 1991) and the Ryff’s Psychological Well-being scales. Path analysis using the IBM AMOS 23 indicated a positive effect of permissive parenting on anxiety/depression and environmental mastery facets of psychological well-being. Authoritative parenting negatively affected social dysfunction and positively affected autonomy, personal growth, and purpose in life. The findings show that children who experienced permissive parenting are more likely to report poor psychological well-being than authoritative parenting. Community programmes aimed at providing training on parenting may improve the mental health status of children in the community.