Parenting style in the context of family functioning and parental stress

[S. Vuković]

194 listova

Prilozi: listovi 177-194

Family pedagogy

The purpose of this paper is to study the parenting styles of parents and their correlation with parental stress, family functioning and own perception of parental role, using a family systems approach by which a family is viewed as a system consisting of a number of subsystems which interact and have a feedback mechanism. Having in mind the nature of the matter, the research used scaling as a research technique and scales as instruments of such research technique. For purposes of determining the parenting styles of parents, the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire – PSQD (Robinson, C. C. Mandleco, B., Olsen, S. F., &Hart, C. H. , 2001) scale was used. Also used were the questionnaires measuring both partner’s and own parenting style. Evaluation of family dimension and family flexibility has been made using the six scales within FACES IV (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales IV), by Olson & Gorall, designed as self-report assessment of Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems. The study of parental stress used the Parental Stress Scale (Berry, J. O. & Jones, W. H, 1995). The study sample included a total of 164 families (mother, father, child), with a total number of respondents in the study being 492, among which 50 families were from Belgrade and 114 from Kruševac, with all 164 students being 12 to 18 years of age. The results of the study presented in the empirical section of the paper show that dysfunctional patterns are the predictors of parental stress, which serves to validate the systems perspective used as basis for this study. The patterns of family functioning are reflected on parental stress, and the parental stress in turn impacts the parenting style. The overall conclusion of the study is that functional and dysfunctional family relations, as well as existence or absence of perception of parental stress, largely determine the parenting style, whereas the sociodemographic parameters do not significantly contribute to it. We have not verified the assumption that fathers and mothers have different levels of stress, or that 7 mothers exhibit a higher perception of stress. Authoritarian style of the mother is related to the intensity of the stress, and the authoritative parenting style of both parents is related to balanced cohesion and flexibility in parents. Findings of this study show that functional and dysfunctional family relations, as well as existence or absence of perception of parental stress, largely determine the parenting style, which validates the systems perspective. Predictors of parenting style include patterns of family functioning, as well as parental stress, by which we have validated the Olson’s model where the family functioning reflects on parental stress and together they reflect on parenting style.

Vaspitni stilovi, Obrasci porodičnog funkcionisanja, Stres, Stres roditeljske uloge

Parenting styles, patterns of family functioning, stress, parental stress

37.018.1(043.3)

159.923-055.52(043.3)

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