A new study found that strict or "authoritarian" parents might be negatively affecting their children, as they could be leading them down the road to depression.
This parenting style emphasizes strict rules that children should follow, gives out punishments for bad behavior, and demands obedience without answering back. While many so-called "tiger mums" have praised this approach, researchers discovered that it has its risks.
Effect of Authoritarian Parenting Style on Children
This is because this type of strict parenting was found to increase a child's risk of becoming depressed in their teenage years. The researchers of the new study believe that this could be due to strict parents keeping their children in an isolated, pressuring environment that results in poor mental health.
On the other hand, children whose parents were supportive and nurturing were found to have a lower risk of developing depression, anxiety, and stress. The researchers of the new study found that "authoritative" parenting styles, which focus on setting and explaining clear boundaries for kids, provided better protection against mental health conditions, according to Dailymail.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Anjali Bhatt, said that it was evident that an "authoritative" parenting style is characterized by parents who typically display love and warmth, as well as high responsiveness towards the children.
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He said that this reason could be why there is a decrease in the symptoms of DAS (depression, anxiety, stress) among school-going adolescents. The study interviewed 583 school students in Nepal, whose ages ranged from 10 to 18 years.
A separate study from Brazil followed more than 4,200 Brazilian children from birth to age 18. The mothers who participated in the study completed surveys after delivering their babies and then every two years until the kids turned 18 years, Psychology Today reported.
Regulation Emotions
Data showed that 45 percent of the children had parents who they considered moderately harsh, and 5 percent had parents who they considered very harsh. The kids who had moderately or very harsh parents were less able to regulate their emotions when they got older, experienced lower levels of self-esteem, and were less likely to help others compared to children whose parents were not harsh.
Another study, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Development, suggested that parents' beliefs about social hierarchy and obedience to authority could shape the development of an ability known as "theory of mind."
The researchers found a broader link between specific maternal attitudes and children's theory of mind scores. Mothers who scored higher on social dominance orientation or right-wing authoritarianism performed worse on the theory of mind tasks, as per the Psypost.
