CORRELATION BETWEEN PARENT-CHILD COMMUNICATION PATTERNS AND THE ADOLESCENT'S LEVEL OF SELF-ESTEEM

Abstract

The influence of parents on their children's level of self-esteem has been much discussed in American and Britain. However. little focus has been placed on the impact of the parents on their adolescent offsprings. This thesis aims to examine the relationship between the adolescent's level of self-esteem and the different dimensions of parental behaviours. This thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter one introduces the reader to the area of concern as well as the situation in Singapore. This is followed by an outline of the five main hypotheses. It is postulated that there exist a positive relationship between the adolescent's level of self-esteem and parental behaviours like nurturance, induction, autonomy and participation. It is also hypothesized that there is no difference in the level of self-esteem of the male and female respondents. Chapter two begins with an outline of the theoretical framework adopted. This is followed by a review of the literature and conceptualisation of the important variables. In Chapter three, we have the operationalisation of the variables and a delineation of the data collection process. 829 respondents arc obtained from six different schools and the one-shot test method is adopted. In Chapter four, the data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings obtained were mostly significant, thus supporting the hypotheses delineated earlier. Implications for Social Work and the limits of the study are outlined in the final chapter. Recommendations for future research arc also examined in this chapter.