The parent‫–ؘ‬child relationships and self-esteem in adolescents living in urban and rural areas

Abstract

This article examines the link between child–parent relationships and self-esteem in adolescents living in urban and rural areas. The study employed the Adolescent Child–Parent Relationships Questionnaire (O. A. Karabanova, P V. Troyanovskaya) and the General Self-Esteem Questionnaire (G. N. Kazantseva). The sample included 55 adolescents aged 15–16 years, 27 living and studying in rural areas and 28 in urban areas. The study revealed significant differences in self-esteem and characteristics of child-parent relationships between groups of urban and rural adolescents. Rural adolescents exhibited a higher level of self-esteem compared to their urban peers. Scales describing features of emotional relationships between parent and adolescent, as well as interaction and communication, showed high values in both groups. Normative values were obtained for control-related scales, including parental demandingness, completeness and indisputability of parental urban adolescents rated their relationships evenly low and moderate, while most rural adolescents rated the quality of parent-adolescent relationships highly. Rural adolescents gave higher evaluations to parental fulfillment of their material needs, as well as their needs for attention and information. Urban adolescents exhibited a higher level of conflict in their relationships with parents. Significant positive correlations were found between self-esteem of urban adolescents and acceptance and cooperation, alongside significant negative correlations with parental demandingness, inconsistency, and uncertainty. The self-esteem of rural adolescents positively correlated with acceptance, encouragement, autonomy support, and overall relationship satisfaction; negatively, it correlated with emotional distance, conflict, punishments, parental inconsistency, and hostility towards the spouse. The findings can inform psychological support programs for adolescents based on their living environments.