Gurpreet Kaur Sandhu^1,, Vandana Sharma²

The purpose of the study was to examine associations between composite parenting behaviors’ (parenting styles and dimensions) and social withdrawal and social anxiety. Participants of the study were 227 girls in India with age ranging from 6-11 years. The parents completed the parenting styles and dimension questionnaire and girls completed Social anxiety scale for children while the parents/teachers completed the Teacher report syndrome scale for social withdrawal behavior in girls. Pearson’s product moment correlations were done to study the associations between parenting behaviors’ and social anxiety and social withdrawal respectively. A standard multiple regression analysis was used with social withdrawal and social anxiety as dependent variables. Correlational results indicated that authoritarian, uninvolved parenting styles and physical coercion, verbal hostility, non-reasoning and indifference parenting dimensions are positively correlated with social anxiety and socially withdrawn behaviors’. Authoritative style, and parental dimensions of connection, regulation and autonomy granting are inversely correlated with social anxiety and socially withdrawn behaviors’ Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that uninvolved, non- reasoning, neglect and reject parenting dimensions positively predicted social anxiety and social withdrawal in girls, while authoritative style and connection parenting dimensions inversely predicted social withdrawal and social anxiety among girls. The present findings suggest the positive contribution of authoritative, connection stylistic dimensions in amelioration of social emotional problems among girls and inverse contribution of uninvolved, non-reasoning, neglect, reject parenting styles and dimensions in exacerbation of social anxiety and socially withdrawn behaviors’ in girls in the Indian cultural context.

parenting styles, social anxiety, social withdrawal, parenting dimensions, indian culture