Journal of Psychology & Behavioral Science

Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Science All in the Family: Parenting Style and Risk Behavior in College Students
Randall E. Osborne

Abstract
Since pioneering work by Baumrind in the 1970’s, researchers, educators and practitioners have attempted to delineate the impact of parenting style on children (e.g., Baumrind, 1971; 1993). Research suggests that parenting style has a significant impact on both attitudes and behaviors (Baumrind & Black, 1967). Since that time, many in-depth and comparative studies have been done assessing these effects and assessing the extent to which these effects differ depending on economic, ethnic, racial and cultural variables (e.g., Dixon, Graber & Brooks-Gunn, 2008; Dekovic&Jannsens, 1992). Parenting style may contribute to family dysfunction (see King, Vidourek&Merianos, 2016) and family dysfunction relates to risk-behavior in college students (e.g., Osborne 2019). The current study attempted to assess parenting style, elements of family dysfunction (Edinburgh Family Scale, Minuchin, Rosman & Baker, 1978) and risk behavior in college students (utilizing the Youth Risk Behavior Survey – CDC, 2017). As predicted, students who rated their parent(s) as authoritarian in style, also reported significantly higher levels of several elements of family dysfunction and reported higher levels of risk behavior in their first year of college than students reporting a more authoritative style of parenting. These effects differed somewhat for males and females.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jpbs.v8n1a1