Suruchi Singh, Lavanya Chhabra, and Ritika Limaye
Sri Aurobindo College (Evening), New Delhi
Pages:117-130
Parenting style refers to the consistent behaviours and dispositions parents exhibit
based on their beliefs about what is appropriate in guiding their children’s development.
Ego identity status is an individual’s current self-perception, including their understanding
of personal strengths, weaknesses, goals, values, beliefs, and social roles. Perceived
stress is the extent to which an individual perceives life events as threatening,
unpredictable, and beyond their control, reflecting their subjective experience of stress.
The research aimed to investigate the impact of various parenting styles on ego identity
status, perceived stress among young adults aged 18-25 in India, discerning which
parenting approaches are conducive and which are detrimental to their well-being. A
sample of 113 participants was selected via convenience sampling, comprising 48 men
and 65 women, as well as 75 from nuclear families and 38 from joint families. The
instruments utilized included the Parental Authority Questionnaire by John R. Buri, the
Modified Marcia Identity Questionnaire developed by James Marcia, the Perceived
Stress Scale by Cohen, Kamarck, and Mermelstein. The study aimed to examine the
relationship between parenting styles, ego identity status, and perceived stress, while
also investigating potential gender differences in these areas. The findings revealed no
statistically significant relationships between Permissive or Authoritarian parenting styles
and the identity status dimensions—Diffusion, Foreclosure, Moratorium, and
Commitment. However, Authoritative parenting was found to have a statistically significant
negative correlation with Foreclosure. Additionally, the study identified significant gender
differences in perceived stress, with females reporting higher levels of stress compared
to males