Parenting and disciplinary practices of Iranian mothers: A quantitative study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the parenting style and disciplinary practices among Iranian mothers in California. This was done by completing quantitative cross sectional research. The results revealed that Iranian mothers in the lower socioeconomic class used authoritarian parenting and harsher discipline than mothers with a higher educational attainment and higher income. Unemployment was found to be associated with authoritarian parenting and harsher disciplinary practices. Iranian-born mothers also reported using authoritarian parenting and harsher disciplinary practices. Lastly, mothers who reported having boys used harsher disciplinary practices. The results may be beneficial to families, healthcare providers, and the child welfare system so that they may better understand the well-being of Iranian children and work to implement programs that will benefit this specific population.