ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
Adolescent mental health has become an increasing public health concern, particularly in rapidly urbanizing societies. Despite growing awareness of psychological distress among adolescents in Malaysia, limited empirical research has examined how parenting styles influence anxiety and depression within urban multicultural contexts. This study examined the predictive relationship between perceived parenting styles and levels of anxiety and depression among adolescents in Selangor, Malaysia. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected from 107 secondary school students aged 13–17 years through stratified random sampling. Parenting styles were measured using the Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), while anxiety and depression were assessed using the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that authoritative parenting significantly predicted lower levels of anxiety (? = –.845, p < .001) and depression (? = –.796, p < .001). These results highlight the protective role of supportive and responsive parenting behaviours in promoting adolescent psychological well-being. The study contributes to the growing literature on adolescent mental health in urban Malaysia and suggests that fostering authoritative parenting practices may serve as an important strategy for reducing psychological distress among adolescents in rapidly changing urban environments.
Adnan, W. H., Aziz, A. A., Mohamed, S., Sahharon, H., & Mohamed, S. (2024). Future of Malaysian Youth at risk: Mental Health, Self-Efficacy and Behavioural change. Jurnal Pengajian Media Malaysia, 26(sp1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.22452/jpmm.vol26sp1.2
Gopinathan, S., Kaur, A. H., Ming, L. M., Alias, M. B., & Veeraya, S. (2022). Awareness of Behavioural Intervention Strategies in Curbing Mental Health Issues among Youth in Malaysia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15376. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215376
Hamzah, S. R., Musa, S. N. S., Mohamed, N. H., Osman, S., & Yahya, S. (2023). Youth and mental health problems in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v13-i5/17165
Hasbullah, N., Ma’rof, A. A., & Azam, M. N. D. (2024). Relationship Between Moral Identity and Parenting Styles on Prosocial Behavior among Youth in Selangor, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(8). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i8/22559
Janius, N. N., Jemat, N. S. K. B., & Amdan, N. M. a. B. (2024). Parenting style on academic performance among secondary students at Kota Belud, Sabah. International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 12(2), 907–929. https://doi.org/10.30574/ijsra.2024.12.2.1294
Jannah, K., Hastuti, D., & Riany, Y. E. (2022). Parenting style and depression among students: The mediating role of self-esteem. Psikohumaniora Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 7(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v7i1.9885
Kang, B., Li, Y., Zhao, X., Cui, X., Qin, X., Fang, S., Chen, J., & Liu, X. (2023). Negative parenting style and depression in adolescents: A moderated mediation of self-esteem and perceived social support. Journal of Affective Disorders, 345, 149–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.132
Khadka, R., Bhatt, A., Thapa, M., Sharma, A., Joshi, M., & Mishra, D. K. (2024). Influence of parenting styles on depression, anxiety, stress and self-esteem of adolescents. medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory). https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.16.24312121
Khairuddin, L. H., Madon, Z., & Arshat, Z. (2024). Relationship between Negative Maternal Parenting Style and Social-Emotional Development of Young Children from Urban Low-Income Households in Lembah Klang, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(10). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i10/23274
Liu, X., Liu, J., Flores, D. D., & McDonald, C. C. (2024). Family factors related to adolescent screen media use and mental health outcomes: A systematic review and recommendation for practices. Journal of Adolescence, 96(7), 1401–1427. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12367
Masiran, R. (2022). A review of Parenting in a Multicultural Country: the Malaysian Experience. IntechOpen eBooks. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101173
Noor, N. M., Yew, W. C., & Yusoff, N. H. (2022). Family Climate in Nurturing Individuals’ Self-Concept: A Qualitative study. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 7(6), e001574. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v7i6.1574
Pauzi, M. M., Daud, M. N., Ghani, M. S. A., & Yusuf, S. A. (2025). PARENTING STYLES, EXTRINSIC RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION, AND ANXIETY AMONG RESEARCH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA. Quantum Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 6(3), 406–416. https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v6i3.700
Shah, A. A., Rathakrishnan, B., Singh, S. B., Kamaluddin, M., Yahaya, A., & Rahman, Z. A. (2023). Emotional Intelligence as a Mediator between Parenting Style and Antisocial Behavior among Youth in Malaysia. Sustainability, 15(17), 12811. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712811
Tan, W. Y., Ismail, N., & Arshat, Z. (2021). Relationship between Maternal Attachment and Behavioral Adjustment Problems among Children in Selangor, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(7). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i7/10098
Thamburaj, K. P., Gurusamy, V., Thambu, N., & Ponniah, K. (2024). Understanding Parent-Child relationship dynamics in Malaysian Indian families. Jurnal Pendidikan Awal Kanak-kanak Kebangsaan, 13(1), 105–118. https://doi.org/10.37134/jpak.vol13.1.9.2024
World Health Organization: WHO. (2024, October 10). Mental health of adolescents. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health#:~:text=Globally%2C%20one%20in%20seven%2010,remain%20largely%20unrecognized%20and%20untreated.
Yakub, N. A., Ali, S. F., Farid, N. D. N., Shari, N. I., & Panatik, S. A. (2024). A systematic review comparing Pre-Post COVID-19 pandemic parenting style and Mental Health-Related factors. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 17, 100826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2024.100826
Yen, J., Tam, C. L., & Lee, S. L. (2021). Parental bonding, depressive experiences, and symptomology: An investigation among college students in Malaysia. PsyCh Journal, 10(4), 574–586. https://doi.org/10.1002/pchj.450
Zakaria, E., Kamarudin, N. N., Mohamad, Z. S., Suzuki, M., Rathakrishnan, B., Singh, S. S. B., Rahman, Z. A., Sabramani, V., Shaari, A. H., & Kamaluddin, M. R. (2022). The Role of Family Life and the Influence of Peer Pressure on Delinquency: Qualitative Evidence from Malaysia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 7846. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137846
Zamri, E. N., Sha, L., Haizam, T. N. a. B. T. M. N., & Isa, S. N. I. (2024). A scoping review of the factors associated with mental health among Malaysian adolescents. Malaysian Journal of Movement Health & Exercise, 13(2), 71–82. https://doi.org/10.4103/mohe.mohe_13_24
Vijayakumaran, D. R., & Rus, M. F. C. (2026). The Protective Shield: Authoritative Parenting as a Predictor of Reduced Anxiety and Depression in Urban Malaysian Adolescents. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 15(2), 281–303.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode