Parenting Styles Influence Adolescent Emotional Maturity Across Gender

Abstract

Introduction The study on parenting styles and adolescence is an interesting topic that is always a subject of debate. Adolescents go through transitions that carry opportunities and risks that influence and shape the future of the young generation. The eminent habits and characters exhibited by adolescents pause a concern hence an interesting topic to study. The parent-adolescent relationship often reduces, creating refute and a chasm in their midst. Parents influence their children in adolescence. They can set standards on healthy behaviors by effective care and monitoring to create an effective home environment. The period of adolescence is difficult; it is connected to emotions, and deep intuition Parenting styles have a significance in the social, psychological, emotional, and social development of an adolescent. Parenting styles constitute parents’ behaviors and attitudes which creates an emotional environment where the parents' behaviors are manifested. Adolescence is a critical stage where parents and the youth are deemed to reestablish their relationships. Various researchers have linked parenting styles to emotional maturity. According to (Sindhu& Jain 2020), Parenting style is the art of bringing up children where parents, feelings, and teaching towards children play a significant role in ones-life. Emotional maturity is a rare attribute that adolescence possesses. It entails having the ability to manage emotions in whichever circumstances. According to (Alexander 1967), emotional maturity designates that phase of personality development, which corresponds to biological and psychological maturation. He also claims that a person is psychologically mature after he has reached a certain level of intelligence and emotional outlook. Adolescents are not always prepared for emotional maturation as their bodies' biology emanate and seem grown but immature on the inside. Emotional maturity is depicted by excessive competition, lack of self-esteem, and poor judgments. The parent-adolescent relationship is always associated with conflict and cohesion. There is a significant relationship between parenting styles and emotional maturity. Summary of the hypothesis and research design. The researchers Sindhu and Jain did extensive research that cuts across gender on parenting style and emotional maturity among adolescents of age15-18 years. They used explanatory research design and survey design using questionnaires. The sample was 50/50 for both males and females. The setting of the Study was Vivekananda Pre University College in Bangalore. The study excluded rural adolescents, the physically disabled, and adolescents brought up by single parents. The researchers created a rapport with the students and obtained informed consent from them. The participants were asked to fill in social demographic factors, for instance, Age, sex, urban or rural, name, guardians, and health condition. They were then administered with parenting style questionnaire. The research was not forceful. Permission was obtained from the university to undertake the study, and the students first signed to ascertain their willingness to participate. The study's null hypothesis was that emotional maturity and perceived parenting style for both father and mother do not significantly differ among adolescents. The two authors believed that parenting styles do not have any relationship with emotional maturity for male and female adolescents. An emotional maturity scale and parenting scale were used to ascertain the validity and accuracy of the results. Qualitative/ quantitative results. The authors, through their study, determined the qualification of adolescents according to gender. The demographic results indicated that the active participants were 16 years of age, with 52% and 47% for females and males, respectively. Those with 17 years participated at 36% and 30% for females and males, respectively. Those who came last were participants with 15years claiming 12% and 23% for females and males. This indicates that adolescence is at its epitome at 16years. Based on educational qualification, the researchers determined; 52% of female adolescents and 66% of male adolescents perusing 1st PUC, 48% of female adolescents, and 34% of male adolescents perusing 2nd PUC. The authors obtained their results by determining the mean, standard deviation, and the t-value. The results were as follows; mean scores indicate that the perceived parenting style of a father (mean=146.28, SD=12.408) is higher among male adolescents than in mother (mean=145.86, SD=13.057) with a t-value 0.447, perceived parenting style of a mother (mean=146.20, SD=11.785) is higher among female adolescents than in father (mean=145.56, SD=14.244) with a t-value 0.501. The study concluded that the perceived parenting style does not differ significantly across gender, therefore accepting the null...