This study explores the predictive role of parenting styles in the development of anxiety symptoms among preschool-aged children. Using data from a sample of children aged 3 to 6 (N = 514), parenting behavior was assessed separately for mothers and fathers using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ). Anxiety symptoms were evaluated through the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale - Preschool version (SCAS-P), comprising five subscales: generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors (OCD), and fear of physical injury. Five multiple regression models were conducted, one for each anxiety dimension, using maternal and paternal authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive styles as predictors.
Results showed that maternal authoritarian style was a significant positive predictor of generalized anxiety, while paternal authoritarian style predicted increased OCD symptoms. Democratic (authoritative) parenting styles were negatively associated with anxiety across domains, although not statistically significant. Permissive parenting was not a consistent predictor.
Conclusions: authoritarian parenting—particularly from mothers—appears to contribute to higher levels of generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behaviors in preschoolers. Findings underscore the importance of warm, consistent, and autonomy-supportive parenting in early childhood to prevent anxiety-related psychopathology.