Parenting Styles and Child Development: A Study of Pakistani Families

Abstract

This study explores the correlation between parenting styles and child development in Pakistani families, which is based on Lahore. Parenting styles are an important variable that determines the emotional, social, behavioral, and academic performance of children. The research design is based on a cross-sectional survey (quantitative) research design. A sample of 300 parents of children aged between 10 and 18 years is used to collect data by using a structured questionnaire which is founded on a five-point Likert scale. Parenting styles are considered to be the independent variable and child development is regarded as dependent variable. Data analysis using SPSS is done using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results show that authoritative parenting positively affects child development significantly, which means that a moderate style of warmth and control would result in more positive developmental outcomes. Conversely, the authoritarian and permissive types of parenting have a great negative influence, which implies that too much control or insufficient discipline negatively affect the development of children. The findings demonstrate that parenting styles are great predictors of child development and this explains a large percentage of the variation in developmental outcomes. The study highlights the need to embrace balanced parenting in the Pakistani culture. The results have great implications to parents, teachers, and policy makers to facilitate effective parenting practices and encourage general cognitive growth in children.