Family Environment and Inconsistent Parenting Styles on Adolescents’ Self-Esteem among Model School Students of Federal Tertiary Institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria

Adolescence is a critical period in human development, marked by identity formation, emotional sensitivity and heightened self-awareness. During this phase, parenting styles and the family environment play pivotal roles in shaping adolescents’ self-esteem, a key psychological construct that influences their academic, social and emotional well-being. This study investigates the effects of family environment and inconsistent parenting styles on adolescents’ self-esteem among model school students of Federal Tertiary Institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design of correlational type was adopted, and with a multistage sampling technique, data was collected from 137 senior school students from the model schools of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Federal College of Education, Osiele and Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro using structured questionnaires. The instruments utilized including the Perceived Parenting Style Scale, the Brief Family Relationship Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Findings revealed that the perception of respondents toward parenting styles adopted by their parents is predominantly authoritative, they experience a cohesive and communicative family environment with the maintenance of high levels of self-esteem, with relatively infrequent negative self-perceptions. A significant relationship was found between self-esteem and parenting style; r(135)= 0.54, p < .05 as well as family environment; r(135) = .598, p < .05. Lastly, parenting style and family environment are potent predictors of adolescents’ self-esteem and increases it by 43% and 27.2% respectively. Among others, this study recommended counselling services should be integrated into communities to support families experiencing conflict or instability and that Schools should implement programs that promote students’ self-esteem, including mentorship initiatives, peer support groups, and access to professional counsellors.