The role of parental style in the conduct disorders: A comparison between adolescent boys with and without conduct disorder

Objective: An important contributing factor, but one that has not been investigated thoroughly in South Africa, is the role of parental styles which has been consistently found to be a precursor of conduct disorder. Method: To establish whether specific parental factors that contribute to this disorder in a South African sample, the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Family Environment Scale were administered to 2 groups of adolescent boys: a group diagnosed with conduct disorder (n = 40) and a group without a diagnosis of conduct disorder (n = 40). To test for significant differences between the two groups, t-tests were performed. Results: A typical parenting style characterised by low care by the mother and overprotection by the father, which forms an affectionless, controlling parenting style, was found in the children in the conduct disorder group. This type of parenting style results in high control, low expressiveness of emotions, minimal involvement with children, and inadequate supervision and monitoring of children. Conclusion: The study provided sufficient evidence to conclude that a specific style of parenting can contribute to the aetiology of conduct disorder.