The Influence of Maternal Parenting Styles on Self-Esteem among Chinese Vocational College Students

Abstract

Vocational college students are at a critical stage of transition from adolescence to early adulthood, during which the establishment of self-esteem plays a foundational role in their mental health and career development. Within the family system, mothers often assume the role of primary caregivers and main sources of emotional support. Drawing on the “looking-glass self” concept from symbolic interactionism and Parental Acceptance–Rejection Theory (PARTheory), this study employed stratified random sampling to survey 360 students from a vocational college in eastern China, examining the relationship between maternal parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) and self-esteem among vocational college students. The results indicated that: (1) self-esteem among vocational college students was generally above average; (2) maternal authoritative parenting was significantly positively correlated with self-esteem, authoritarian parenting was significantly negatively correlated with self-esteem, while permissive parenting showed no significant correlation with self-esteem; (3) hierarchical regression analysis revealed that after controlling for demographic variables, authoritative and authoritarian parenting still had unique predictive effects on self-esteem, whereas permissive parenting did not, with the overall model explaining 23% of the variance. The findings support the positive role of authoritative parenting and the negative impact of authoritarian parenting, while the non-significant effect of permissive parenting may be moderated by developmental stage, cultural context, and other factors. This study provides empirical evidence and practical implications for family education guidance and mental health intervention programs in vocational colleges.