Role of Parenting Styles in Mental Health among Adolescents with Locomotor Disability

Abstract

Adolescents with locomotor disability face multifaceted challenges that impact their daily lives and social interactions. These challenges profoundly influence their development and self-worth, underscoring the pivotal role of parenting styles. The present study is designed to examine the predictive role of parenting styles in mental health among adolescents with locomotor disability. Over 120 adolescents with locomotor disability within the age range from 15 to 18 years with a mean age of 16.17 years, studying in different government schools of Varanasi district, have been taken as the sample of the study. Parenting styles were assessed by the Parental Authority Questionnaire developed by Buri (1991), and mental health was measured using the Mental Health Inventory developed by Jagadish and Srivastava (2005). The finding of the study indicated a positive significant relationship between mental health with authoritative and permissive parenting styles. Conversely, there was a negative relationship between authoritarian parenting style and mental health. Regression analyses identify the father’s authoritative and authoritarian, as well as the mother’s permissive, authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles as significant predictors of mental health. These findings highlight the critical role of parenting styles in shaping the mental health of adolescents with locomotor disability.