EXPLORING THE ROLE OF PARENTAL PRESSURE IN SHAPING ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING IN MUZAFFARPUR DISTRICT BIHAR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i1.2024.6241Keywords:
Parental Pressure, Adolescents, Psychological Well-Being, Subjective Well-Being, Gender Differences, Bihar, ResilienceAbstract [English]
Background:
Adolescence is a formative developmental stage where external factors, particularlyfamily dynamics such as parental pressure, significantly influence psychological andsubjective well-being. In India, the socio-cultural emphasis on academic achievementoften intensifies such pressure, but localized evidence, especially fromregionslikeMuzaffarpur, Bihar, remains scarce.
Objective:
To examine the influence of parental pressure on the psychological and subjectivewell-being of adolescents in Muzaffarpur district, Bihar, and to assess perceptual
differences based on gender.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 adolescents (200 males, 200
females), aged 15–21 years, using three standardized instruments: the Parental
Pressure Scale (PPS), Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS), and SubjectiveWell- Being Scale (SWBS). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, Pearson correlations, andlinearregression analyses were performed using SPSS software.
Results:
Findings indicated moderate to high parental support (Mean PPS = 138.1), relativelyhigh psychological (Mean PWBS = 187.0) and social well-being (MeanSWBS=191.15). Males reported significantly higher social well-being (p = 0.023), whilenosignificant gender differences were found in psychological well-being or perceivedparental pressure. Regression analysis revealed that perceived parental support isastrong predictor of psychological well-being (R² = 0.361) and a moderate predictor ofsocial well-being (R² = 0.115).
Conclusion:
Parental expectations play a vital role in shaping adolescent mental health. Whilesupport can foster resilience and emotional health, excessive academic pressuremay diminish subjective well-being. Gender differences in social well-beinghighlightthe need for gender-sensitive parental engagement strategies.
References
Adeyera, O., Uchendu, O., & Owoaje, E. (2020). Resilience among secondary school students in South-Western Nigeria; association with abuse and neglect. International journal of adolescent medicine and health, 32(6), 20180013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2018-0013
Biswas, B., Kumar, P., Ahmad, S., Sachan, N., Singh, C., Ramalingam, A., & Das, K. M. (2022). Resilience level, its determinants and its effect on psychological well-being: A cross-sectional evaluation among school-going adolescents of Patna, Bihar, India. Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal, 29(1), 29-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/npmj.npmj_724_21
Das, D. (2024). Exploring the role of perceived social support on subjective well-being among youth in India. Global Social Welfare, 1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-024-00332-y
Dray, J., Bowman, J., Campbell, E., Freund, M., Wolfenden, L., Hodder, R. K., ... & Wiggers, J. (2017). Systematic review of universal resilience-focused interventions targeting child and adolescent mental health in the school setting. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(10), 813-824. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.07.780
Fenwick-Smith, A., Dahlberg, E. E., & Thompson, S. C. (2018). Systematic review of resilience-enhancing, universal, primary school-based mental health promotion programs. BMC psychology, 6, 1-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-018-0242-3
Ghatak, N., Menon, N., & Jha, J. (2021). Developing Mentoring Approaches for Transformative Education: Context and Challenges. Transformative Education: Meanings and Policy Implications, 74.
Jafar, N. H. M., Adnan, H. M., & Ahmad, R. O. S. L. I. Z. A. (2022). The portrayal of women in persuasive advertisement: Semiotic analysis of Deeja cosmetic TV commercial. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 38(1), 297-313. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2022-3802-18
Jiang, M. M., Gao, K., Wu, Z. Y., & Guo, P. P. (2022). The influence of academic pressure on adolescents’ problem behavior: Chain mediating effects of self-control, parent–child conflict, and subjective well-being. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 954330. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.954330
Jongen, C. S., McCalman, J., & Bainbridge, R. G. (2020). A systematic scoping review of the resilience intervention literature for indigenous adolescents in CANZUS nations. Frontiers in public health, 7, 351. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00351
Konaszewski, K., Niesiobędzka, M., & Surzykiewicz, J. (2021). Resilience and mental health among juveniles: role of strategies for coping with stress. Health and quality of life outcomes, 19, 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-021-01701-3
Lu, H., Nie, P., & Sousa-Poza, A. (2021). The effect of parental educational expectations on adolescent subjective well-being and the moderating role of perceived academic pressure: Longitudinal evidence for China. Child Indicators Research, 14(1), 117-137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-020-09750-8
Maerlender, A., & Bray, P. G. (2024). Adolescent Mental Health in the Twenty-First Century. In Adolescent Public Mental Health: Why Systems Need Changing and How a Public Mental Health Approach Can Work (pp. 11-33). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68294-0_2
Mehrotra, S., & Ullah, F. I. (2024). Perceived Parenting Academic Pressure and Daily Life Involvement of Parents as Predictors of Subjective Well-being among Adolescents. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(4).
Molyneux, M. (2020). Adolescence: policy opportunities and challenges. UNICEF, January.
Namy, S., Carlson, C., Pala, A. N., Faris, D., Knight, L., Allen, E., ... & Naker, D. (2017). Gender, violence and resilience among Ugandan adolescents. Child abuse & neglect, 70, 303-314. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.015
Peng, B., Hu, N., Yu, H., Xiao, H., & Luo, J. (2021). Parenting style and adolescent mental health: The chain mediating effects of self-esteem and psychological inflexibility. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 738170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.738170
Prasad, G., & Ahmad, A. (2020). Impact of Stress on Mental Health among Youth: A Study of Madhubani District, North Bihar, India. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36348/sjhss.2020.v05i11.004
Shek, D. T., & Liang, L. Y. (2018). Psychosocial factors influencing individual well-being in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong: A six-year longitudinal study. Applied research in quality of life, 13, 561-584. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-017-9545-4
Singh, R., Mahato, S., Singh, B., Thapa, J., & Gartland, D. (2019). Resilience in Nepalese adolescents: Socio-demographic factors associated with low resilience. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 893-902. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S226011
Soenens, B., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2025). Studying parenting in adolescence from a dynamic perspective: the case of autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 22(2), 142-167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2023.2282647
Tian, L., Liu, L., & Shan, N. (2018). Parent–child relationships and resilience among Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of self-esteem. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1030. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01030
Yin, X., Jia, S., Shao, Y., & Zhang, L. (2025). The impact of parental educational expectations on subjective well-being among adolescents: The serial mediating role of self-efficacy and learning engagement. BMC psychology, 13(1), 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02669-1
Zhu, X., & Shek, D. T. (2021). Parental factors and adolescent well-being: Associations between developmental trajectories. Children and Youth Services Review, 127, 106071. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106071
Ziaian, T., de Anstiss, H., Antoniou, G., Baghurst, P., & Sawyer, M. (2012). Resilience and its association with depression, emotional and behavioural problems, and mental health service utilisation among refugee adolescents living in South Australia. International Journal of Population Research, 2012(1), 485956. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/485956
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Vinay Kumar, Dr. Krishna Kumar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
