The Relationship Between Parenting Styles and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. A case of Caregivers of Sunday School Children from Selected CITAM Churches in Nairobi County, Kenya

One of the mostevalent categories of childhood disorders is behavioral and emotional issues. Using ineffective approaches to parenting can have detrimental effects such as behavioral issues. This study investigated the relationship between parenting styles and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in Sunday school children in selected CITAM churches. The study adopted the Attachment Theory and Family System Theories. Being a correlational study, it employed a quantitative approach to gather and analyze data. This study used the Yamane (1967) and stratified random sampling procedure to select a sample of 314 parents of children aged 5-12 years from three selected CITAM churches including Valley Road, Woodley, and Karen. Data collection instruments included standardized questionnaires of Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) and Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (DBDRS). This study applied the SPSS version 27 software, to carry out quantitative data analysis using correlation analysis. The Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between authoritarian parenting style and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), with results showing that higher levels of authoritarian parenting correlate with increased ODD symptoms in children (r = .297, p < .05, one-tailed). A similar trend was observed with permissive parenting, where a significant positive correlation (r = .272, p < .05, one-tailed) indicated that children raised in permissive environments are also more likely to exhibit oppositional and defiant behaviors. The study recommends that Parent Management Therapy (PMT) be incorporated to guide the parents on how they can support the children in avoiding conflicts with adults hence addressing oppositional behaviors.