Children with strict parents are more likely to become DEPRESSED

"'Authoritarian' parenting styles emphasise strict rules that must be followed, punishments for bad behaviour, and obedience without answering back. Although so-called 'tiger mums' have praised this approach, researchers have found that strict parenting increases a child's risk of becoming depressed in their teenage years. The researchers believe this may be because strict parents keep their kids in an isolated, pressurising environment that leads to poor mental health."

"The researchers found that 'authoritative' parenting styles, which emphasise setting and explaining clear boundaries for children, offer protection against mental health conditions. Lead author Dr Anjali Bhatt, of Tribhuvan University, Nepal, writes in the paper: 'It has been evident that an authoritative parenting style is characterized by parents who tend to display love and warmth, and high responsiveness towards the children. 'This reason might have resulted in a decrease in the symptoms of DAS [depression anxiety stress] among school-going adolescents.'"

Strict, authoritarian parenting that enforces obedience, harsh punishments, and limited flexibility is associated with higher risk of adolescent depression, possibly due to isolation and pressurising environments. Supportive, nurturing parenting and authoritative styles that set clear boundaries while explaining them and showing warmth and responsiveness are associated with lower rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. A study of 583 school students in Nepal aged 10–18 used surveys assessing depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and parental discipline style. Parenting styles are commonly categorized as authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved, with differing impacts on adolescent mental health.

Read at Mail Online