The relationship between authoritative parenting styles, sense of autonomy, and self-esteem in adolescents

Abstract

This study examines the association between authoritative parenting styles, autonomy, and self-esteem of adolescents. It is hypothesized that the positiverelation between authoritative parenting and self-esteem in adolescents is mediated by autonomy in adolescents. The data was obtained through self-evaluation surveys conducted among adolescents for the constructs of autonomy and self-esteem, and through observation of parent-child interactions for the construct authoritativeness. Participants were Dutch (96.7%), adolescents(50% girls and boys; MAge= 11.5), in transition from primary to secondary education, and their parents (85% mothers, Mage= 44). Although the mediation analysis shows a significant positive relationship between autonomy and self-esteem, such is not the case for the hypothesized positive relation between authoritativeness and self-esteem and authoritativeness and autonomy. There was also no indirect effect found in this research, and thus no mediation. For practitioners in the field of youth care, insights into the relation between autonomy and self-esteem can be useful in improving treatment protocols for adolescents with autonomy and self-esteem issues. It is recommended that future research takes this study further over a longer time to obtain longitudinal data.