Abstract

Previous stepfamily research suggested that the parenting styles of biological parents and stepparents are related to children's behavioral adjustment. Scant research also provided evidence of the significance of combined parenting styles on emerging adults' behavioral adjustment. In conjunction with this literature, the scope of the current study served four purposes. First, the current study examined the degree to which parenting styles predict emerging adults' behavioral adjustment. Second, the degree to which biological parent and stepparent parenting styles predict the emerging adult-biological parent and stepparent relationships was examined. Third, the degree to which the emerging adult-biological parent and stepparent relationships predict adjustment was examined. Fourth, emerging adult-biological parent and stepparent relationships were examined as mediators in the relationship between parenting styles and emerging adults' adjustment. As part of this study, 100 emerging adults who were enrolled in a psychology course at the University of Central Florida were given a series of questionnaires regarding the variables of interest (i.e., parenting style, stepparenting style, biological parent-emerging adult relationships, stepparent-emerging adult relationships, and emerging adults' adjustment). Results of this study provided confirmation of previously held notions that both parenting styles and relationships are predictors of emerging adults' adjustment. Additionally, this study contributes new information concerning the significance of combined parenting styles and the use of parent-emerging adult relationships as a mediator between an authoritative parenting style and emerging adults' adjustment.

Notes

If this is your Honors thesis, and want to learn how to access it or for more information about readership statistics, contact us at STARS@ucf.edu

Thesis Completion

2011

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Renk, Kimberly

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Sciences

Degree Program

Psychology

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences;Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0003865

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS