Cross National Comparison of the Effects of Parental Strictness of Rules On Adolescents' Well-Being in Italy and the Netherlands

Few investigations exist regarding the effects that similar parenting behaviors have across different nations. Italy and the Netherlands are two European countries that are socio-culturally quite different regarding many aspects of families’ lives and structure.  In this present study we tested the one year follow-up associations of parental strictness of rules and adolescent self-confidence, self-esteem, aggression, depression, positive self-perception, and sense of alienation, and the moderating role that country of origin, age and gender among a sample of 510 Italian and Dutch adolescents (mean age = 17.4, SD = 1.42).

Results showed the effect of strictness of family rules on self-confidence was lower among Dutch adolescents (β = -0.38, p = 0.04). A significant three way interaction was also identified between the association of strictness of family rules and self-confidence with the moderating variables age and country (β = 0.02, p = 0.04). This interaction result shows that the effect of strictness of rules on self-confidence not only differed by age but that this difference also existed between countries.

The effect of strictness of family rules on positive self-perception was lower among Dutch adolescents (β = -0.28, p = 0.05). Interaction analysis between the association of strictness of family rules and positive self-perception with the moderating variables age and country indicated that the effect of strictness of rules on positive self-perception differed by both age and country (β = 0.02, p = 0.04). 

Further efforts should be conducted which incorporate parenting measures which take into account cultural, social and historical points of reference of the populations under study. This would allow for a greater understanding of how parenting practices vary by social and cultural context and to understand how such practices are interpreted differently by youth of various contexts. Investigations of this sort may help parental education efforts that may guide caregivers on which types of behaviors promote psychological and behavioral wellbeing in their offspring, especially during such turbulent times as adolescence.