The Impact of Parental Support and Parenting Style on the Self-esteem of Children Who Have Faced Adversity

Children who have faced adversity are more prone to depressive symptoms and poor mental health. Research has documented an increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders among individuals experiencing childhood abuse and trauma relative to their age peers(Chapman et al., 2004). Extensive research has focused on the negative effect of adversity to an individual’s psychological well-being and has consistently shown that there is a strong connection between childhood adversity and mental health issues. Inadequate parental support can also affect a child’s mental health. Reed et al. (2004) demonstrated that an adverse family environment was related to higher levels of emerging adult depressive symptomology. A study conducted by Moghaddam et al. (2017) shows that an authoritative parental approach has a direct impact on a child’s self-esteem and can positively influence how an individual views themselves. The goal of the present study is to determine the impact of parenting styles and parental support on children who have faced adversity’s self-esteem. Participants in this study consisted of 30 people enrolled in a private university as well as family friends and co-workers located in Northern California. This self-administered questionnaire includes questions from the Parenting Styles and Dimensions questionnaire (Robinson, Mandleco, Olsen & Hart, 1995), Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), and the Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (Felitti, Andra, Nordenberg, Williamson, Spitz, Edwards, Koss & Marks, 1998). This study is expected to show that among children who have faced adversity, parental support will be positively correlated with self-esteem. Also, among children who have faced adversity, the authoritative parenting style will be positively correlated with self-esteem. Keywords: childhood adversity, authoritative parenting style, self-esteem, parental suppor