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The relationship between different parenting techniques and the social adjustment of adolescents
Abstract
This study was undertaken to examine the effects that different parenting techniques have on the social adjustment of adolescents between the ages 14 and 17. The investigation focused on the perceptions of these adolescents on their parents' parenting techniques which basically comprise of the authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful parenting styles. In addition, the study also looked at the home background, the educational levels as well as the occupational types of the parents, and the types of the parents, and the types of offences committed by the adolescents.
The sample consists of two groups of adolescents, namely, the non-delinquent group and the delinquent group. The non-delinquent group comprises of 224 fourteen year-old boys and girls who came from the express steam of two secondary schools. There were 156 girls and 68 boys in this group of subjects. For the delinquent group, there were a total of 135 subjects who were from the age range of 14 to 17 years. There were 54 girls and 81 boys in this group of adolescents. A General Information Questionnaire which is used to obtain the subject's bio-data, and an adapted version of the Buri's Parental Authority Questionnaire were used to gather data for this study. Both questionnaires were administered to the two different groups by the researcher herself.
Findings of the study revealed that there was a significant difference found between the type of parenting techniques employed by parents of non-delinquent adolescents and those employed by the parents of the delinquents. The data collected showed that the non-delinquents have obtained significant higher scores than the delinquents in the authoritative parenting sub-scale whereas the latter has obtained significant higher scores in the permissive, authoritarian and neglectful parenting sub-scales. This means that the non-delinquents' parents tended to employ parenting skills which fitted the authoritative style, whereas the parents of the delinquent group employed parenting techniques that were namely, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful in style.
The data collected from the bio-data section showed that the two groups of adolescents also differed in terms of their home background, their parents' educational levels and occupational types as well as the type of offences committed. More than 90% of the subjects from the non-delinquent group came from homes where both parents were present, compared to the delinquent group who had slightly more than 50%. About a third of the delinquent girls and boys came from homes which had less than two parents living with them.
In terms of educational levels, all the parents of the non-delinquent group have at least secondary education compared to more than half from the delinquent group who had only primary education. Data on the occupational types of the two groups yielded distinct differences. More than 75% of fathers of the non-delinquent group held white-collared or skilled jobs whereas about 60% of the delinquent group's fathers are holding semi-skilled or unskilled jobs. However about half of the mothers from the non-delinquent group are full-time housewives compared to more than half of them from the delinquent group who have semi-skilled or unskilled jobs.
Besides, the delinquent group has also scored higher percentages than those from the non-delinquent group in the commitment of offences listed in the bio-data section. The delinquent group exhibited acts of deviance especially in offences such as rioting (21.3%) and drug-taking (20.9%). Within each group, the boys have also scored higher percentages in most of the offences committed, when compared to the girls' percentage scores.
The sample consists of two groups of adolescents, namely, the non-delinquent group and the delinquent group. The non-delinquent group comprises of 224 fourteen year-old boys and girls who came from the express steam of two secondary schools. There were 156 girls and 68 boys in this group of subjects. For the delinquent group, there were a total of 135 subjects who were from the age range of 14 to 17 years. There were 54 girls and 81 boys in this group of adolescents. A General Information Questionnaire which is used to obtain the subject's bio-data, and an adapted version of the Buri's Parental Authority Questionnaire were used to gather data for this study. Both questionnaires were administered to the two different groups by the researcher herself.
Findings of the study revealed that there was a significant difference found between the type of parenting techniques employed by parents of non-delinquent adolescents and those employed by the parents of the delinquents. The data collected showed that the non-delinquents have obtained significant higher scores than the delinquents in the authoritative parenting sub-scale whereas the latter has obtained significant higher scores in the permissive, authoritarian and neglectful parenting sub-scales. This means that the non-delinquents' parents tended to employ parenting skills which fitted the authoritative style, whereas the parents of the delinquent group employed parenting techniques that were namely, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful in style.
The data collected from the bio-data section showed that the two groups of adolescents also differed in terms of their home background, their parents' educational levels and occupational types as well as the type of offences committed. More than 90% of the subjects from the non-delinquent group came from homes where both parents were present, compared to the delinquent group who had slightly more than 50%. About a third of the delinquent girls and boys came from homes which had less than two parents living with them.
In terms of educational levels, all the parents of the non-delinquent group have at least secondary education compared to more than half from the delinquent group who had only primary education. Data on the occupational types of the two groups yielded distinct differences. More than 75% of fathers of the non-delinquent group held white-collared or skilled jobs whereas about 60% of the delinquent group's fathers are holding semi-skilled or unskilled jobs. However about half of the mothers from the non-delinquent group are full-time housewives compared to more than half of them from the delinquent group who have semi-skilled or unskilled jobs.
Besides, the delinquent group has also scored higher percentages than those from the non-delinquent group in the commitment of offences listed in the bio-data section. The delinquent group exhibited acts of deviance especially in offences such as rioting (21.3%) and drug-taking (20.9%). Within each group, the boys have also scored higher percentages in most of the offences committed, when compared to the girls' percentage scores.
Date Issued
1998
Call Number
HQ769 Hua
Date Submitted
1998