Typology of family parenting style (combination of maternal and paternal parenting styles) and its effect on male adolescents' anxiety and depression: A new approach to parenting

Introduction: Mothers and fathers are different in a variety of their parenting characteristics. The different combinations of maternal and paternal parenting styles are related to their adjustment, mental health and psycho-social development in adolescence. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of combinations of mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles on anxiety and depression in adolescents.
Materials and Methods: Three hundred fifty six male students from governmental high schools in Isfahan (2009) were selected by cluster multistage sampling method. They fulfilled parenting style questionnaire, Beck anxiety inventory and Beck depression inventory. Parenting typology of families classified according to combination of maternal and paternal parenting styles and adolescents’ depression and anxiety levels in different types were compared by ANOVAs regression analysis and Schefe’s test.
Results: Findings of this study suggest that adolescents achieve the most positive outcomes when they have at least one authoritative parent or two indulgent parents (P<0/001), and worst outcomes when they are reared by both uninvolved parents (P<0/001), and in types with one uninvolved parent, mother’s uninvolvement has more negative outcomes (P<0/001).  
Conclusion: Low amounts of anxiety and depression are outcomes of high levels of warmth and control of both or at least one of the parents and/or congruency in maternal and paternal parenting styles. Low levels of warmth and control or incongruence in mother and father parenting had worst outcomes.