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Background and Aim: Recognizing obesity as a chronic illness which has multiple causes has led to the fact that prevention efforts and interventions are needed in early childhood. Parents who provide immediate environment and influence the healthy habits and behaviors of their children can be effective in the prevention of childhood obesity. This study aims to determine the relationship between parenting style and obesity in preschool children in Mashhad. Materials and Methods: In a two-stage random cluster sampling, children from kindergartens and preschool centers, who were also State Welfare recipients from seven regions of the city of Mashhad school districts, were selected. 76 obese children were in the case group and 152 normal- weight children were in the control group. A child was considered obese if the BMI was ≥95 the percentile. Individual and family information along with the three day food consumption records were gathered by interviewing the mothers. The parents also completed the Baumrind parenting style questionnaire. Results: The mean scores of authoritative, authoritarian and permissive styles of mothers in case group were 32.4 ± 3.9, 13.6 ± 5.3 and 15.8 ± 3.8, respectively. The mean scores for the same categories of parenting style of mothers in the control group were 33.0 ± 3.3, 13.4 ± 4.9 and 15.9 ± 4.2, too. The mean scores of authoritative, authoritarian and permissive styles of fathers in case group were 32.2 ± 3.8, 14.8 ± 5.8 and 16.5 ± 5.3. The mean scores for the same categories of parenting style of fathers in the control group were 31.9 ± 3.2, 14.7 ± 4.8 and 15.7 ± 4.5. The mean scores of parents parenting styles in two groups were insignificant (p>0.05). However, there was a significant relation between fathers and mothers' BMI with their children's BMI (p=0.000). Conclusion: Parenting style is not associated with child obesity. The findings can be used as a basis for intervention studies.

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  Abstract

  Background and Aim : Parenting style as one of the basic functions of parents has an important role at the later stages of life. This research has been accomplished to determine the effect of parenting styles on self- efficacy and mental health of students.

  Materials and Methods : This descriptive-analytical research has been done on 210 students (105 males and 105 females) among 3757 humanity students of Payam-e-Noor and Azad Universities in Neyshabour who were selected by multilayer cluster sampling method. The subjects were tested by child rearing self-efficacy and GHQ-28 questionnaires. The data were analyzed applying one-way ANOVA, two-factor (F), and Tukey test.

  Results : The results indicated that parenting styles had a significant influence on self-efficacy of students (p= 0.0064). There was a significant effect on increasing self-efficacy in authoritative style compared with permissive style (p=0.0001) and the authoritarian style (p=0.01). Also, parenting styles had a significant effect on mental health condition (p=0.027). Parenting styles had different significant effects on mental health of students. Authoritative style had an effect more than that of the authoritarian style (p=0.0078) and permissive style more than authoritarian style (p=0.018).

  Conclusion : Regarding the effect of parenting styles on self-efficacy and mental health which is of great importance in students, teaching programs about parenting styles is recommended for parents at different levels.

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Aims: Loneliness is an unpleasant, disturbaing, and prevalent experience in the adolescents. The repetition of the experience badly affects the adolescents’ physical, mental, and emotional health. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of parenting style training on the adolescents’ loneliness feeling. 

Materials & Methods: In the semi-experimental study, 50 adolescents with loneliness feeling, aged between 14 and 17 years, and their parents were studied in Gonabad from July to December 2015. The subjects were selected via stepwise sampling method. The subjects having been divided into experimental and control groups, parents of experimental group received eleven 1.5- to 2-hour training sessions for 6 weeks. Control group received no training. Data was collected by the UCLA revised loneliness feeling scale. Data was analyzed by SPSS 20 software using one-way ANOVA, Chi-square, paired T, and independent T tests. 

Findings: The prevailing parenting style in the mothers of control (32.22±3.80) and experiment (33.78±3.89) groups was ex catherda. The prevailing parenting style in the fathers of control (30.81±4.66) and experiment (31.65±6.30) groups was ex catherda. There was an insignificant increase in the mean loneliness feeling in control group from 41.00±4.40 (befor the intervention) to 41.27±4.64 (after the ntervention; p=0.642). There was an insignificant reduction in the loneliness feeling in experimental group from 39.78±4.08 (before the intervention) to 39.35±6.84 (after the intervention; p=0.776). 

Conclusion: Teaching the parenting style to the parents does not affect the adolescences’ loneliness feeling.