Gender Differences in Perceived Parenting Styles and Socioemotional Adjustment of Adolescents

The present research examined gender differences in perceived parenting styles and socioemotional adjustment of adolescents and examined relationship between these variables. It was hypothesized that: a). There are gender differences in perceived parenting styles and socioemotional adjustment; and b). perceived parenting styles have differential relationship with socioemotional adjustment. Sample comprised of 60 adolescents with equal number of girls and boys and was recruited from different public schools in Rawalpindi. Parental Authority Questionnaire (Buri, 1991) and Socioemotional Adjustment Scale (Najam & Simeen, 1991) were used for assessment. Girls perceived their parents as authoritative and showed significantly better socioemotional adjustment as compared to boys. Findings highlight importance of parenting styles and their implications for socioemotional adjustment of adolescents.