The Relationship Between Parenting Style and Reluctance to Getting Help with Mental Disorders

This report investigates the relationship between various parenting styles and the willingness to seek help for mental health issues. We used data from Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ; Buri, 1991) from a survey of 300 participants. This study explores how the parenting styles experienced during childhood—authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive—impact individuals' willingness to seek mental health support in adulthood. The Mental Help Seeking Intention Scale (MHSIS; Hammer, 2018) is used in order to quantitatively measure the participants’ willingness to seek help in the survey. Through descriptive and statistical analysis, we found significant correlations between parenting styles and mental health outcomes. Those who experienced permissive parenting style was related with a greater willingness to seek help, while those who experienced authoritarian and authoritative styles were associated with a reduced propensity to seek mental support. These outcomes underline the lasting influence of childhood experiences on mental health practices in adulthood. In this study, we also explored how demographic factors, such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status, could influence the willingness of seeking mental assistance. Some limitations of this study include but not limited to the constraints of online survey, selection bias, as well as the reliability of data source.