Exploring the Youth: Association of Parenting Styles with Adolescent’s Deviant Behavior

The investigation by this study focuses on Baumrind's (1991) parenting style typology authoritative, authoritarian and permissive to analyze their effects on adolescent deviant actions in Pakistan's cultural framework. Parenting styles impact adolescent deviant behavior according to the formulated hypotheses while authoritative parenting produces higher deviant behavior than authoritarian or permissive styles. The two instruments used for data collection were the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ; Robinson et al., 2001), and Deviant Behavior Scale (DBS; Mushtaq & Kausar, 2018). Informed consent and confidentiality as ethical standards were followed. Research findings supported H1 which indicated that authoritarian parenting and total parenting methods demonstrated positive relationships (r = .20 and r = .29) with deviant actions but permissive parenting styles did not (r = .11) because cultural supports such as familial ties provided protection. The research demonstrates that authoritative parenting methods deliver effective results and recommends culture-specific programs to boost positive adolescent developments in Pakistan.