Individual Reflective Review

The Effect of Parenting Styles on Adolescents’ Depression, Anxiety and Stress Levels

Sharlini A/P Anantha Raj

16065823

PSY3074 Applied Developmental Psychology

BSc. (Hons) Psychology

Lecturer: Ms Woo Pei Jun

Word Count: 1077 Words

Due Date: 29 June 2021

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The Effect of Parenting Styles on Adolescents’ Depression, Anxiety and Stress Levels

Summary

Several studies have focused on the relationship between parenting styles and depression,

anxiety, and stress. The proposal focuses on the level of anxiety, depression, and stress experienced

by the children and adolescents as far as their perceived parental styles are concerned.

Unhappiness, pessimism, dissatisfaction, to and intense melancholy are some of the symptoms of

depression (Seo et al., 2012). The absence of warmth and healthy control in parenting,

overprotective behavior and lower levels of care and nurturance, the authoritative authoritarian

parenting style, parental psychological pressures, academic pressure, and adolescent's personality

were some of the factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress (Betts et al., 2009). The

report further focuses on culture as a broad factor contributing to the different parenting styles that

affect depression, stress, and anxiety in the global setting. The aim of the study is to identify the

effects of perceived parenting style on depression, anxiety, and stress levels among Malaysian

young adults. The application of sampling as a methodology is a vital concept in this report. The

report findings state that the parenting style on depression, anxiety, and stress levels among

Malaysian young adults different perceived parenting styles lead to various levels of depression,

anxiety, and stress among students from various countries in the global setting. This study

hypothesizes that authoritarian parenting style contributes to the highest depression level, anxiety

level and stress levels among Malaysian young adults.

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Methodological Challenges

Online platforms such as social media used for data collection are biased since they only

favor the digital natives and digitally literate people. Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp are some

of the social media platforms used in the entire process. The methodology is biased since it does

not consider poor network areas, access to smartphones or computers, and costs. Participants are

unlikely to fully engage in the survey process since there is no close supervision, and the level of

anonymity might contribute to wrong information about the research question that will, in turn,

lead to biased outcomes about parenting, depression, stress, and anxiety. The in-depth personal

questions such as family structure (e.g., two parents, divorced parents, single parent and others)

and guardian's monthly income might be cumbersome for the 250 participants. This may

contribute to some participants pulling out of the survey that might be a challenge to the ideal

outcomes of the research. The data analysis SPSS requires professional training for a perfect

application. The correlational study design cannot be liable for the use of causal relationships

among the measured variables. Since the variables are parenting styles, depression, anxiety, and

stress, there is a need to identify the causes. Therefore, the design will mislead the causes of

depression, stress, and anxiety since the participants might provide wrong information about the

causes of depression, stress, and anxiety. The realization of better results requires a perfect and

comprehensive methodology. The applied methodology is biased regardless of its flexibility. The

participants might provide wrong information from the questionnaires leading to the need for

transition of the methods that can include everybody regardless of digital literacy. The challenges

are vast and can be inviting the revision of the methodologies to incorporate parental and student

perceptions about depression, anxiety, and stress as mental health issues.

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Solutions

The inclusion of literature review as a methodology is the perfect solution to the issue.

Several kinds of literature will contribute to the in-depth description of the parenting styles and

their effects on stress, anxiety, and depression among adolescents. Since scholarly kinds of

literature have several samples, the findings will be ideal for explaining the causes of depression.

The training of the participants in the correct usage of the online procedures of consenting to

research will contribute to liberty and motivation to participate in such research. The participants

will learn new ideas about the questionnaires and surveys to ascertain the perfection of the

outcomes about the parenting styles and their relevance to depression. The correlational study

design should be replaced with a more friendly design to ascertain the realization of the perfect

results. The subject at hand should be another factor in the methodology section. It should be

applied to ascertain first-hand information to realize the relevant outcomes. I also prefer the use of

the face-to-face interview. Through the interview, the participants will provide valid information

since the researcher will be observing the participants. The liberty to conduct online interview

might contribute to invalid information.

Impact of the Research on Malaysia and Sunway

Understanding the parental styles that lead to depression, anxiety, and stress will reduce

the factors contributing to mental health issues. Through the study, the parents will be better

positioned to apply styles that contribute to the mental balance among adolescents. Also, the

research will contribute to an understanding of the gap in the research about parenting styles and

their relationship to mental health issues (Sanjeevan & De Zoysa, 2018). Therefore, the scholars
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in the Malaysian education centers will be on a quest to research parenting styles and create

awareness about the children's mental balance and the factors that can prevent the issues. The

avoidance of stress through perfect parenting styles is a leeway to perfect good mental health

among children and positive socio-psychological development into adulthood. Since Malaysian

students require mental balance to succeed in a rapidly growing economy, the research will lead

to such a solution since the scholars, and the media will create awareness on the parenting styles

that contribute to reduced mental health issues. Malaysian society will further benefit from the

research since the increased mental health cases threaten the economy as children are the future

generation. The mental sustainability and the expertise they obtain is a platform for a balanced

economy and social stability. Therefore, the research is a platform for social balance in Malaysian

society. The research will help Sunway university students develop relevant perceptions about

parenting and understand the importance of literature in the research process. The fact that the

inclusion of many pieces of literature is the perfect methodology will prompt the students to

understand the research process and garner more information about depression, anxiety, and stress.

Exposing students and young children to online research is the perfect preparation for future

research and an in-depth understanding of the parental roles in ascertaining mental wellbeing.
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References

Betts, J., Gullone, E., & Allen, J. S. (2009). An examination of emotion regulation, temperament,

and parenting style as potential predictors of adolescent depression risk status: A

correlational study. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 27(2), 473–485.

Sanjeevan, D., & De Zoysa, P. (2018). The association of parenting style on depression, anxiety

and stress among Tamil speaking adolescents in the Colombo city. Sri Lanka Journal of

Child Health, 47(4), 342. https://doi.org/10.4038/sljch.v47i4.8597

Seo, S.-N., Lee, S.-G., & Lim, S.-H. (2012). The effects of parents' positive parenting attitudes

felt by adolescents on self-efficacy, stress, depression, and adjustment to school life.

Digital Convergence Research, 10 (8), 327–333.

https://doi.org/10.14400/JDPM.2012.10.8.327