Anxiety and depressive symptoms in children and their relationship with parents' educational style

Abstract

Recent evidence indicates that child psychopathology is determined by multiple factors, both personal, family and social. Family factors include the influence of parenting practices. However, the relationship between parents' educational practices and children's anxiety and depression symptoms, based on parental gender, has been less studied. The objectives of this research have been to examine the relationship between parental educational practices and the internalizing symptoms of children, as well as possible differences according to the gender of parents; A second objective has been to explore the role that the age and gender of children can play in these relationships. These questions were examined in a convenience sample of 211 children aged 7 to 12 years. In general, the results obtained support the hypothesis of differences according to the gender of the parents. Mother-rearing practices appear to be related to an increased likelihood of anxiety-depressive disorders, while the father's style may play a protective role in dealing with these pathologies. We discuss the results on the basis of the existing literature and propose some aspects that future research should address.