Parenting Styles and Psychological Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Academic Achievement

The role of parenting styles and academic achievement in adolescent psychological well-being

Abstract

The main objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between parenting styles and psychological well-being as mediated by academic achievement. In the study, randomly selected 502 adolescent (281 grade ten and 221 grade twelve) students filled out measures of psychological well-being and parenting style. Participants were 17.76 years old on average (SD = 1.76). Reasonable and decent parenting styles positively, pampering and autocrat parenting styles negatively predicted psychological well-being in general and the six dimensions (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal sense of growth, purpose in life and self-acceptance) in particular. Furthermore, the regression and path analysis revealed that the relationship between parenting styles and psychological well-being was partially and significantly mediated by academic achievement. Parents and child care centers were advised to exercise reasonable and decent parenting styles.