Perceptions of Parenting, Self-Esteem, and Relationships

Authors

John Bannec, Belmont UniversityFollow
Georgia Foss, Belmont UniversityFollow
Essence Hamer, Belmont UniversityFollow
Mary Elizabeth Holloway, Belmont UniversityFollow
Lauren Peterson, Belmont UniversityFollow

Publication Date

2022

College

Sciences and Mathematics, College of

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

BURS Faculty Advisor

Patrick Morse

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

Levels of satisfaction in our close relationships can be the direct causes of break-ups, divorces, longevity, and many other outcomes. Using self-esteem as a connecting variable, it is possible to trace our satisfaction in relationships all the way back to the way in which we were treated as children. Specifically, children who grow up in a household with authoritative parenting end up with higher self-esteem than those who don’t (Zakeri & Karimpour, 2011; Pinquart & Gerke, 2019; Yousaf, 2015). Further, individuals with higher levels of self-esteem tend to have higher levels of satisfaction in their close relationships, romantic or platonic, throughout life (Gleeson & Fitzgerald, 2014; Erol & Orth, 2014; Bourne et al., 2014; Tariq, 2011). 60 undergraduate Belmont University students participated in this study through Qualtrics, a data collection software. Each participant’s perceived parenting style and self-esteem levels were measured through the Perceptions of Parents Scales (POPS) (Grolnick et al., 1997) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), respectively. Close relationship satisfaction was measured through the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised (Fraley et al., 2000) for romantic relationships and the Friendship Network Satisfaction (FNS) Scale (Kaufman et al., 2021) for platonic relationships. Results showed that those who had parents with a higher score in authoritative parenting scored higher on self-esteem, and those who scored higher on self-esteem also scored higher on their close relationship satisfaction. Implications of our study help shine a light on the importance of how we treat our children, for it could very much affect the satisfaction of the most important relationships they have throughout their entire lives.

Recommended Citation

Bannec, John; Foss, Georgia; Hamer, Essence; Holloway, Mary Elizabeth; and Peterson, Lauren, "Perceptions of Parenting, Self-Esteem, and Relationships" (2022). Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS). 115.
https://repository.belmont.edu/burs/115