The relations between the Perceived Parenting Styles and the Neuroticism in Argentinean Children and Adolescents

BELÉN MESURADO; MARÍA CRISTINA RICHAUD

Psychology of Neuroticism

Nova Science Publishers

Lugar: New York; Año: 2013; p. 43 - 66

The objectives of this chapter are: 1). To study differences, according to gender and age, in the perception of the father and mother parental styles (acceptance, pathological control and extreme autonomy) in childhood and adolescence; 2). To study differences in neuroticism dimensions (self-criticism, vulnerability, anxiety, perceived lack of competence), according to gender and age; 3). To study the relationship of parental styles as perceived by children with neuroticism according to gender and ages. The total sample consisted of 1494 Argentinean children and adolescents. It included 517 middle-class children aged 8-11 (M = 10.26, SD = .88), both genders (253 boys and 264 girls), and 977 adolescents aged 12-16 (M = 12.85, SD = .86) both genders (431 boys and 546 girls), from primary and high schools in Buenos Aires and Tucumán, Argentina. The results indicate that father and mother parental style are perceived in a different way by children, according to gender and ages. On the other hand, the results of this study revealed statistically significant differences in neuroticism dimensions, with female children showing higher levels of neuroticism, especially self-criticism, vulnerability and perceived lack of competence, the results shown that children who show demonstrate higher levels of self-criticism, vulnerability and anxiety than adolescents. Lastly, we found that the only parenting dimension that is associated with neuroticism is pathological control, that is, excessive, intrusive control, based on guilt, which implies the implementation of strict norms, punishments and scolding, based on a negative evaluation of the child and distancing through rejection.