Impact of Parenting Styles on Emotional Resilience and Coping Mechanisms in Adolescents

Abstract

The parenting styles are very important in determining the emotional resilience and coping mechanisms of adolescents in a critical stage of development characterized by an increased psychological vulnerability. Based on the typology of authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved parenting styles introduced by Baumrind, the current research paper explores the role of differences in parental warmth, control, and communication in determining adolescents to control their emotions and overcome stress. The data were gathered using a quantitative and cross sectional research design and was conducted among adolescents aged 12-19 years using standardized self report measures of perceived parenting styles, emotional resilience and strategies of coping. The statistical analyses of descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression show that authoritative parenting is always related with an increase in emotional resilience and the application of adaptive coping styles like problem-solving, cognitive reappraisal, and seeking social support. Teenagers brought up in authoritative families show reduced levels of emotional responsiveness and increased levels of self-regulation. Conversely, authoritarian parenting demonstrates considerable positive correlations with avoidant coping, emotional suppression, anxiety, and psychological distress, which means that an individual is limited in his or her emotional development. Although permissive parenting is emotionally encouraging, it is associated with the heightened use of emotion-oriented coping and poor self-control because of absence of structure. Uninvolved parenting is something the most harmful, and it is correlated with the existence of maladaptive coping styles, emotional withdrawal, and increased vulnerability to behavioral and psychological issues.