Differential Impact of Mothers’ and Fathers’ Parenting Style on the Personal Growth of Emerging Adults: A Retrospective Investigation

Abstract

The present study investigated the contribution of parents, especially fathers, in personal growth of young adults. The sample
consisted of a total of 200 participants, from which 50% were women. The mean age of the participants was 22 (SD = 1.8). Urdu
translated version of Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) was employed to assess the three modes of mothers and fathers’
parenting styles, which included authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive parenting styles, while Index of Personal Growth was
utilized to measure personal growth among participants. The study hypothesized that a) mothers’ and fathers’ authoritative
parenting styles will be positively while mothers’ and fathers’ authoritarian and permissive parenting styles will be negatively
related with personal growth in emerging adults, b) fathers’ authoritative parenting style will be more strongly related with
emerging adults’ personal growth as compared to mothers’ authoritative parenting style, and c) authoritarian mothers and fathers
and permissive fathers are least likely to contribute to their off springs’ personal growth.
The findings indicated a significant and positive correlation between authoritative fathers and mothers with personal growth,
while negative correlation was observed between authoritarian fathers and mothers and personal growth. As anticipated, Multiple
regression analysis with slope tests showed a stronger contribution of authoritative fathers in personal growth of emerging adults
relative their mothers. Whereas, the results yielded a non-significant effect for authoritarian fathers and mothers. The study
suggests the role of fathers’ parenting in the personal growth of young adults.