The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion among Parents with Respect to the Relationship between Parenting Styles and Children's Happiness

Monireh Nasimi; Forough Jafari; Shokouh Navabinejad

doi:10.18502/qjcr.v21i83.11092

Monireh Nasimi Counseling Ph.D., Department of psychology, science and research branch, Islamic Azad University (IAU), Tehran, Iran.
Forough Jafari Counseling Ph.D., Assistant professor, Department of psychology, Islamshahr branch, Islamic Azad University (IAU), Islamshahr, Iran
Shokouh Navabinejad Counseling Ph.D., full professor, Department of psychology. Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/qjcr.v21i83.11092

Keywords: Happiness, parenting styles, self-compassion

Abstract

Aim: The present research aimed at investigating the relationship between parenting styles and children's happiness with the mediating role of parents' self-compassion among junior high school students in city of Tehran in the school year of 2018-2019.

Methods: The study employed descriptive-correlational methodology. The population included junior high-school students with their mothers living in Tehran. Sample included 384 students along with their mothers who were selected through multistage clustering method. Three questionnaires were used in this study: Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Baumrind's Parenting Style Questionnaire, and Neff's Self-compassion Questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed through Path Analysis and Lisrel.

Findings: The results showed that the mediating role of parenting style was not significant with respect to the relationship between self-compassion and children's happiness (p>0/05). However, the direct effects of three variables of self-compassion, authoritarian parenting, and strict parenting were found to be meaningful (p<0/05). The direction effect of dictatorial style on happiness was negative. The direction effect of self-compassion and strict style on happiness was positive. The aforementioned variables predict 49% of the score variance in happiness.

Conclusion: The presence of self-love in parents and the use of authoritative parenting style can lead to the formation of positive behaviors in parents in a way that makes the conditions of family life favorable for children and increases happiness in children.