Abstract

Background: Parenting is the process of raising and teaching a child from birth to adulthood. There are four types of parenting styles, of which the most common is authoritative parenting. Parenting styles and the quality of a parent-child relationship are considered to have an impact on the psychosocial development of the child.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were (1) to assess the parenting styles of parents with 1–5-year-old children attending Government Taluk Hospital, Anekal, Karnataka. (2) To assess the association between sociodemographic factors and parenting styles of parents.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 mothers of 1–5-year-old children accessing health care at Government Taluk Hospital, Anekal. Modified parenting styles and dimensions questionnaire was administered to mothers.

Results: Mean age of the 200 mothers was 26.2 ± 2.4 years and fathers reportedly were 32.1 ± 3.1 years. Most fathers had high school education and were laborers. Majority of mothers had primary education and were homemakers. There was a significant difference in the mean parenting score of fathers (86.2 ± 14.1) and that of mothers (92.1 ± 11.9), where higher scores indicate better parenting styles. Authoritative parenting style was significantly associated with occupation and education of the fathers. Uninvolved parenting was significantly associated with education of the fathers; occupation and younger age (

Key words: Children; Family; Mental Health; Parenting Styles; Under Five