The effects of parenting styles on each personal growth initiative and self-esteem among Japanese university students

This study investigated the extent to which individual differences in personal growth initiative (PGI) and self-esteem are effected by parenting style. The sample consisted of 329 Japanese university students. The Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) measuring three parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive), the PGI, and the self-esteem scale were used to guide data collection. Multiple regression analyses showed that PGI and self-esteem were significantly affected by the authoritative parenting style. The study also showed that most of the subscales of PGI and self-esteem were not significantly affected by the authoritarian parenting style whereas, for female students, readiness for change which is subscale of PGI was significantly affected by the authoritarian parenting style. On the other hand, PGI and self-esteem were not significantly affected by the permissive parenting style. These results indicate the importance of the influence of the authoritative parenting style on each PGI and self-esteem among Japanese university students.