Maternal Parenting Styles and Middle Childhood Temperament Patterns: A Comparison Between Two Social Classes Residing in an Urban Community

• Published in: Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2024-01, Vol.20 (1), p.26-34
• Main Authors: Kota, Raga Sumedha, Prasad, Hrishikesh Giri, Reddy, Ramsubba
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0973-1342; 0973-1342; 2754-6349
• DOI: 10.1177/09731342241226516

Background: Parenting refers to the usual approaches that parents use in child rearing and is one of the many aspects that play a role in the development of both adaptive and maladaptive behavior in children and adolescents. Parenting styles may be authoritarian, authoritative, or permissive. Temperament refers to the stylistic aspect of behavior and individual differences in behavioral characteristics. This study aimed to compare maternal parenting styles and childhood temperamental patterns between two socioeconomic classes. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Sixty mothers from middle and lower socioeconomic status residing in an urban community in Hyderabad were chosen for the study. Data was collected from January to February 2020. Every participant was a mother of two children in the age group 6–12 years. A semi-structured intake proforma was used, along with the Temperament Measurement Schedule and Parental Styles Questionnaire. Factorial ANOVA was used to explore the differences among the different groups. Results: In 76% of the participants, the predominant parenting style was found to be authoritative. Statistically significant differences in parenting styles were seen between the middle and low socioeconomic status groups. Parenting styles differed with the gender of the child. The education of the mother influenced the parenting style. Illiterate participants and participants who did not have at least tenth-grade education had an authoritarian parenting style. Second-born children scored high on the sociability factor compared to firstborn children. The difference between first- and second-born children was statistically significant. Socioeconomic status and the gender of the child had a statistically significant association. Conclusions: Parenting is a complex phenomenon that is influenced by many factors, social class being one such factor.