Parental Support and Adolescent Self-Esteem: Examining Their Association among Secondary School Students in Patiala District, Punjab, India

Abstract

This study examined the association between parental support and adolescent self-esteem and investigated gender differences in parental encouragement and self-esteem among secondary school students in Patiala District, Punjab, India. A descriptive-correlational design was employed with 200 adolescents from Classes IX and X, comprising 100 male and 100 female students. Data were collected using the Agarwal Parental Encouragement Scale and the self-esteem measure used in the original study. Pearson’s product-moment correlation and independent-samples t-tests were used for analysis. The reported results indicated a statistically significant positive association between parental encouragement and self-esteem (r = .47, p < .01). The gender difference in parental encouragement was not statistically significant (reported t = 1.56, p = .11), and the gender difference in self-esteem was not statistically significant (t = 0.06, p = .95). The findings suggest that adolescents reporting greater parental encouragement also tended to report higher self-esteem in this sample. However, the correlational design does not establish a causal relationship. The findings highlight the relevance of constructive parent–school collaboration, supportive communication, and developmentally appropriate parental encouragement during adolescence.