The Impact of Parenting Styles on Subsequent Parenting Styles in Sons

Research indicates that there is continuity in both maladaptive ( Chen & Kaplan, 2004 ) and positive parenting from one generation to the next. Within the topic of parenting, intergenerational transmission of specific parenting styles, specifically, the intergenerational transmission of authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parenting styles has received limited attention in the research. In addition, few researchers have examined the impact of parenting styles applied to specific family members. As such, this study examined whether certain types of parenting styles may be passed down from parent to son. Through an online questionnaire, ( N = 28) men indicated, retrospectively, how they were parented and how they raise (or would raise) their children. The results of this study indicate a positive correlation between sons being parented in an authoritarian or permissive manner and subsequent engagement in the same parenting style.