Authoritative Parenting and College Students' Academic Adjustment and Success

This study examined connections between college students' adjustment and success and characteristics of their relationships with their parents. A sample of 236 students completed the Student Attitudes and Perceptions Survey, a 135-item anonymous self-report instrument. Students' grades, confidence level, persistence, task involvement, and rapport with their teachers were generally predicted by both current and childhood levels of parental autonomy granting, demandingness, and supportiveness. Ratings of parenting characteristics were equally predictive of adjustment and success among students living with their parents and those living on their own. They were somewhat less predictive of seniors' adjustment and success than they were for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. These findings suggest that parenting style continues to play an important role in the academic lives of college students.