EFFECT OF PARENTING STYLES ON THE EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN IN ODEDA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OGUN STATE
Keywords:
Parenting styles, emotional development, children, emotional regulation, authoritative parentingAbstract
Parenting styles play a significant role in shaping children’s emotional, behavioural, and cognitive development. In early childhood, emotional development progresses as children acquire the ability to recognise basic emotions and understand others’ emotional perspectives, which forms the foundation for empathy (Nauman et al., 2023; Denham et al., 2018). These early emotional competencies are critical for positive peer relationships and effective adjustment to structured settings such as schools. This study investigated the effect of parenting styles on the emotional development of children in Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were collected from 229 pupils drawn from selected public and private primary schools using a structured questionnaire. The instrument measured four parenting styles, authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful, as well as key indicators of children’s emotional development. Data
were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that authoritative parenting was the most prevalent style and was significantly associated with positive emotional development. In contrast, authoritarian and neglectful parenting styles were significantly associated with emotional difficulties, including fearfulness and limited emotional expression. The findings highlight the critical role of parenting practices in children’s emotional well-being and underscore the need for increased awareness and institutional support for positive parenting approaches.
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