In the Eye of the Beholder: Self-Esteem and Children's vs. Parents' Assessments of Parental Nurturance and Discipline.

Past research has implicated the familial variables of parental nurturance and parental discipline in the development of global self-esteem in children. This study examined college students' levels of self-esteem as a function of their own versus their parents' appraisals of parental nurturance and parental authority. Subjects were 128 college students and both of their parents. Students completed a global self-esteem scale, a mother's nurturance scale, a father's nurturance scale, a mother's Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), a father's PAQ, and a demographic information sheet. Each parent completed a nurturance scale and a PAQ. The results revealed that both mother's and father's nurturance (as perceived by the students) were strongly related to self-esteem. Based upon students' appraisals, parental authoritativeness was directly related to self-esteem while parental authoritarianism was inversely related to self-esteem. Students' assessments of parental nurturance and authority were more strongly related to self-esteem than were the parents' assessments of these variables. Results of regression analyses suggest that parental authority may be an important source of parental nurturance information. (Author/NB)