Parenting Styles and Cognitive Autonomy Among Indonesian Adolescents

Abstract

Autonomy is one of the critical developmental tasks in adolescence, however, research frequently focuses on the behavioral and emotional aspects. Meanwhile, the cognitive aspect of autonomy is equally important to be examined and promoted. Hence, this study aimed to examine the relationship between parenting style as a factor that significantly plays a role in the development of adolescent independence, and cognitive autonomy. This study involved 308 high-school Indonesian adolescents (58.1% female, 41.9% male). We used multiple regression analysis to examine the hypotheses. The study found that supportive parenting (warmth, structure, and autonomy support) was significantly associated with cognitive autonomy (p<0.001), while unsupportive parenting (rejection, chaos, and coercion) did not correlate with cognitive autonomy. In addition, there was no difference between male and female adolescents in cognitive autonomy levels. These results can be further utilized for future research and/or to develop intervention programs for adolescents' ability to think independently.