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Parenting is one of the most crucial factors in a child's development. How the parents engage with their child, define boundaries, and offer support can influence the child's emotional, social and cognitive development. Through years of research, there have been four identified main parenting style have a strong influence on the child's health. These are authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting styles, and each comes with its own set of benefits and challenges. It is important to gain an understanding of these parenting techniques' influence on children's development in order to promote healthier, more strong members of society.

Authoritative parenting style has been previously reported to be the most balanced and effective treatment. Characterized by a combination of warmth, support, and clear expectations, authoritative parents maintain firm boundaries while encouraging their children’s autonomy. Being transparent in communication and giving reasons for regulations is important to them, so children can understand their own behaviour and the expected outcome. Children with support from authoritative environments will become well-self-assessed (i.e., high self-esteem), socially competent (i.e., good social relationships) and high achievers (i.e., academics). They develop learning to regulate their emotions, cope with adversity and maintain positive peer relationships. Authoritative parenting is consistently found to result in well-adjusted later-on children that are more resilient to adverse events, perform better in school, and are better equipped to manage social events.

By contrast, authoritarian parenting is defined by high control and low warmth. Authoritarian parents typically impose and regulate strict rules expecting unquestioning compliance and minimal consideration for discussion or right to flexibility. Although they may intend well with the aim of promoting discipline, the absence of emotional attachment can lead to a strained parent-child bond. By living in an authoritarian environment, children develop high levels of anxiety, low self-esteem and also make less-than-ideal social skills. They might have been less able to take independent or autonomous action or solve problems by themselves. Research indicates that children come from authoritarian parent stock may have difficulty with authority figures within the school setting or in adulthood and may display mental health problems such as depression or anxiety as they mature.

By the other hand, the permissive parenting is characterized by high warmth and low control. Permissive parents are quite lax, both in applying rules to heterozygous children and allowing children to impose them on others with very limited intervention. They often act more like friends than authority figures, encouraging open communication but avoiding strict discipline. While this approach fosters creativity, independence, and strong communication skills in children, it can also lead to a lack of self-discipline and respect for boundaries. Children raised permissively may struggle with impulse control and have difficulty adjusting to structured environments like school, where rules and expectations are more rigid. It has been shown by research that the children with permissive parenting style may have difficulties obeying rules or respecting the authority and this can lead to behavioural problems or with academic performance.

Finally, neglectful parenting (also termed uninvolved parenting) is the most severe of the "low warmth, low control" spectrum. Parents with a history of neglectful parenting are emotionally remote, disengaged, or neglectful with regard to the basic needs of their child. There is little or no regulation, and children are usually not sufficiently emotionally supported to flourish. Neglectful parenting can lead to significant and enduring effects. Children, who grow up in a neglectful family system, can suffer from attachment problems, emotion dysregulation, and a greater tendency to repeat risky activities like substance misuse or delinquency. They are frequently underperforming academically and are known to experience low self-worth, resulting in anxiety or depression. It has been demonstrated that neglectful parenting is closely associated with unhealthy mental, behavioural, and general developmental outcomes.

If these four parenting styles are to serve as a guiding framework for analysing the effects that parental behaviour can have, it is equally if not more important to estimate the cultural and social context in which parenting takes place. Across cultures, values such as respect of authority, collectivism or individualism will be prioritized, therefore creating different approaches to these parenting styles. Especially, in certain cultures, an authoritarian style can be perceived as the way to maintain respect and family cohesion, but in others, an authoritative style can be more likely to be adopted as a means to celebrate independence and emotional intimacy. Socioeconomic context matters as well-parents in high socioeconomic areas may have greater access to resources and time to use authoritative parenting approaches, and parents in low socioeconomic areas may experience greater stressors that make it harder for them to use consistent, attuned parenting approaches.

In the long run, the healthiest parenting style is an adaptive parenting style that is sensitive to the needs of youth and adapted to the nature of the family's context. Although authoritative parenting is often associated with the most positive outcomes, it’s important to recognize that every child is unique, and a parenting style that works for one may not work for another. Ultimately, the most important thing is to have the capacity to create, in a safe, supportive, supportive atmosphere, an environment in which the child is made to feel safe, liked and ready to flourish.

In conclusion, understanding the different parenting styles and their effects on children can help parents make informed decisions about how to raise their children. Whether through the structure of authoritative parenting or the flexibility of permissive approaches, the goal is to foster a positive environment that promotes healthy emotional and social development. Parents who are aware of how they engage and who have a willingness to change their policies to meet their child's requirements will be in a better position to successfully raise independent, adaptable, resilient children who can cope with the challenges of the world about them.