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The relationship between parental behaviors and children's self-esteem
Abstract
This study explored and measured the relationships between children's self-esteem and parenting behaviors, mattering, family cohesion, and parents' self-esteem. The subjects were 83 college students and 135 parents of those college students. Each participant completed a background information survey, a self-esteem questionnaire, and quantitative and qualitative questionnaires on parenting behaviors. Using the child's self-esteem as the dependent variable, multiple regression analysis of child-parent dyads found different levels of significance for parenting behaviors for each dyad. Greater correspondence was found between the daughters' perceptions of the mothers' parenting behaviors and the mothers' reports of those parenting behaviors than for the other dyads. The analysis of data suggested that mattering could be used as a predictor of self-esteem for the daughter and that the parenting behaviors of support and communication from both mothers and fathers could be supported as behaviors to be practiced for feelings of mattering and the development of a positive self-esteem. Data suggested that the parenting behavior of sustained contact by the mother was a predictor of self-esteem for the son. Data also suggested that for the son-father dyad family cohesion could be a predictor of self-esteem for sons and that parenting behaviors of sustained contact, affection and support be practiced for feelings of family cohesion and the building of a positive self-esteem.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology|Developmental psychology
Recommended Citation
Metz, Sandra Lee, "The relationship between parental behaviors and children's self-esteem" (1995). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9600746.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9600746