14 DAY TRIAL // A team of Spanish researchers from the University of Valencia have discovered what effect does the way that parents bring up their children have on social structure in Spain, concluding that strict rules, deprivation and punishment have a negative impact on the family's self esteem.
The study considered a nationwide survey carried out on 948 children and adolescents, aged between 10 and 14 years, out of which 52% were girls.
They were asked to describe the socialization practices of their parents, and based on their answers, the families were classified in one of the four parental socialization models: authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent or neglectful.
The results of this study showed that the ideal Spanish parents were the indulgent type, because “the scores for children from indulgent families were the same, or even better, than those from authoritative families”, Fernando García, co-author of the study and a researcher at the UV, told SINC.
This classification of the family is made by combining behaviors that involve different levels of demands and responsibility being given to children.
The authoritative model, for example, applies to families that “provide clear rules, giving reasons for them to their children in an affectionate and flexible way, while also expecting these rules to be followed.”
The authoritarian type looks like the first one except parents are less affectionate.
The other two models are the complete opposite: neglectful and indulgent, both applying low levels of repression.
García says that families part of the first model are “not very affectionate”, while those in the second group are “very affectionate”.
The point of this study was “to analyze which style of parental socialization is ideal in Spain by measuring the psychosocial adjustment of children.” explained Fernando García.
He concluded that systems that impose discipline, that try to force kids to do things, are very negative for the family's self-esteem, and have been linked to incomplete emotional development.
There are cases in which a certain level of resentment towards the family appears, even if the parents have very cordial relationships with their children, “at least in cultures such as in Spain, where little value is placed on hierarchical relationships,” adds the researcher.
He stresses that parents should work “on aspects that are often not sufficiently addressed” like communication, polite relationships, being interested by the child's problems and showing it and also giving reasoned explanations about the consequences of their mistakes.
This study has been published in the latest issue of the journal Infancia y Aprendizaje.