Flexible Parenting Averts Depression, Anxiety in Kids

According to the results of a new scientific study, it would appear that adults who employ flexible parenting to raise their children are more likely to have sons and daughters that exhibit lower levels of anxiety and depression than their peers.

Similar strategies are known to business executives as flexible (situational) management. In this approach, penalties and rewards are decided on-the-fly, based on circumstances specific to that particular scenario.

This apparently contributes to boosting performance and efficiency at the workplace, and scientists now propose that the same holds true for children as well. Interestingly, this idea can already be identified in most parents.

At some level, all parents know that what works for one child – in terms of rewards and punishments – might not work on another. Matching parenting style to the needs of the little ones is absolutely essential, experts say.

Otherwise, they add, parents risk raising children that are grumpy, fearful, anxious, depressed or moody most of the time. The downside to this is that these kids generally have a hard time being independent and adjusting to social norms and requirements.

How to best tailor parenting to children’s personalities is the subject of the new, 3-years study, which was conducted by experts at the University of Washington. The work was primarily focused on school-aged children, PsychCentral reports.

The researchers found that if adults matched their parenting styles to a child's personality, then the study population would only experience half as many cases of depression and anxiety. Conversely, mismatches led to twice as many cases.

“This study moves away from the one-size-fits-all approach to parenting, and gives specific advice to parents on how to mitigate their child’s anxiety and depression,” UW researcher and lead study author Cara Kiff explains.

“We’re considering characteristics that make children vulnerable to anxiety and depression, and factoring in how that shapes how kids react to different parenting approaches,” she says. The work is detailed in the latest online issue of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.

“We hear a lot about over-involved parents, like ‘tiger moms’ and ‘helicopter parents'. It is parents’ instinct to help and support their children in some way, but it’s not always clear how to intervene in the best way.” Dr. Liliana Lengua says.

“This research shows that parenting is a balance between stepping in and stepping out with guidance, support and structure based on cues from kids,” adds the expert, a coauthor on the research and a professor of psychology at the university.