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Does your child think you’re happy? Exploring the associations between children’s happiness and parenting styles

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  • Maftei, Alexandra
  • Holman, Andrei-Corneliu
  • Cârlig, Elena-Roxana

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore children’s perception of their happiness, as well as their parents’, and to investigate their potential associations with parenting styles. The sample included 73 children (age range 5 to 8 years old, M = 6.57, SD = 1.06) and one of their parents (age range 29–47 years old, M = 36.45, SD = 4.08, 85% mothers). Parents filled in a parenting styles and dimensions questionnaire. We used The Faces Scale to assess children’s attributions of happiness, while a focused interview obtained spontaneous verbal descriptions of what made both children and their parents happy. We used both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore our data. Most children considered their compliance with family rules as parents’ main source of happiness. Family relationships and friendship were found to be the primary sources for children’s happiness. Correlation analyses suggested significant associations between children’s self-reported happiness, parents’ perceived happiness, and some of the permissive (lack of follow-through) and authoritarian (directiveness) parenting styles’ dimensions. These findings may be useful for both the development and implementation of positive socio-emotional programs during childhood, as well as for the general parent-child internal dynamic.

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  • Maftei, Alexandra & Holman, Andrei-Corneliu & Cârlig, Elena-Roxana, 2020. "Does your child think you’re happy? Exploring the associations between children’s happiness and parenting styles," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:115:y:2020:i:c:s0190740920303212
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105074
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mark Holder & Ben Coleman & Judi Wallace, 2010. "Spirituality, Religiousness, and Happiness in Children Aged 8–12 Years," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 131-150, April.
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