Teens with supportive but firm parents have better mental health

Parents do not just feed and clothe teenagers – they also set the emotional climate at home. A new study of 583 students in western Nepal links that climate to striking differences in depression, anxiety, stress, and self-esteem.

Globally, one in seven adolescents lives with a mental disorder, and suicide ranks among the leading causes of death for young people. 

The World Health Organization notes that adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood, from ages 10 to 19.

Parents shape teen mental health

Psychologists use the phrase parenting style, a consistent pattern of warmth and control adults show their children, to describe broad approaches to raising kids. 

Classic work organizes these approaches into three main styles that differ in how strict and how supportive parents are.

The work was led by Rabina Khadka, a public health lecturer at the Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences in Kathmandu (MMIHS).

Among the parenting styles, authoritative parenting is a mix of clear expectations and warm responsiveness to the child. This approach is often described as the most balanced. It gives teenagers both guidance and room to develop their own judgment.

“Authoritative parenting styles are associated with better mental health and self-esteem among adolescents,” stated Khadka. 

The team’s findings suggest that this blend of structure and support may help teens handle stress and setbacks more confidently.

Depression, stress, and self-esteem

The team carried out a cross-sectional study, a one-time survey of students at a single point in time in Bheemdatt Municipality. They asked teens about symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and their sense of self-worth.

About one-third of the adolescents screened positive for depression, and almost half showed signs of anxiety. Roughly one-quarter met the cutoffs for high stress, while most still reported relatively high self-esteem.

To understand these patterns, the researchers used a statistical method that estimates how factors relate to the odds of an outcome. 

The models accounted for many background factors, so the links between parenting style and mental health were unlikely to be accidental.

The same models showed that social context mattered a great deal. Youth who reported being bullied or feeling less close to friends and teachers faced significantly higher odds of psychological distress and lower self-esteem.

The role of predictable boundaries

The study also examined authoritarian parenting, a style that relies on strict rules, firm demands, and little discussion of the reasons behind them. 

Adolescents in these families were more likely to report symptoms of depression and tended to describe themselves in more negative emotional terms.

In contrast, permissive parenting – a style where parents are warm but allow freedom with few limits – was tied to elevated stress in Nepali teens. 

Without predictable boundaries, young people may feel unsupported when school pressure or social problems build up.

Parents strongly affect teen health

Self-esteem patterns added another twist. Teenagers who saw their parents as authoritative reported lower self-esteem.

Teens with authoritarian parents reported higher scores – challenging ideas about confidence and control.

Previous research has also found that parenting style and adolescent mental health are linked, though not always in the same way. 

A recent study of Malaysian pre-university students linked authoritarian parenting and fathers’ education to depression, anxiety, and stress.

Rethinking support for adolescents

Taken together, the Nepal findings highlight the importance of a supportive home environment, a family climate where adults notice changes, listen, and respond calmly. 

This echoes broader guidance from the World Health Organization, which stresses that home, school, and community relationships are central to adolescent mental health.

The results also point to the double burden carried by teenagers who face both unsupportive parenting and bullying at school. 

Providing support for teens

When criticism or control follows a young person from home to the classroom or playground, opportunities to recover emotionally shrink.

Schools and local governments can respond by strengthening counseling services, enforcing anti-bullying rules, and inviting parents into conversations about mental health. 

Families, meanwhile, can practice simple habits such as regular check-in talks, shared activities, and clear but respectful rules.

Ultimately, the research suggests that how adults talk, listen, and set limits at home can shape whether adolescent distress becomes a lasting problem or remains manageable.

The study is published in the journal PLOS One.

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