Expressions of love, empathy, warmth, and concern for a child’s well-being. 

Emotional Parental Support

Information about various topics, often times regarding material of academic nature, and guidance, or advice, about life.

Informational Parental Support

Material, or financial support, given to the child as needed.

Tangible Parental Support

The choice and effectiveness of these forms of support were found to vary by gender, their goals, and the controllability of the problem. Researched cultures would assist to a greater extent if their child’s goal aligned with a goal that they find attainable, or profitable. Although, cultural differences in terms of affection shown, by gender, varied. 

Cross-Cultural Similarities and Differences with Parental Support

A study researching Cross-Cultural parental care between American, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean adolescence found that American and Chinese participants received greater emotional support (on average, of course) than Korean and Japanese participants. In informational support, Americans received the greatest support, then Chinese, Koreans, and finally, Japanese. Finally, for financial/tangible support, Chinese adolescence received the most support, while Americans had the least (Korean and Japanese children were the same, in the middle).

Results of Cross-Cultural Parental Care Study 

Parental support is positive behavior towards a child, like praise, encouragement, and physical affection. These are indications that help the child acknowledge they’re accepted, appreciated, and loved. 

Ohio State University, Columbus

The PBI is a 25-item questionnaire, having 12 items measuring “care” and 13 items measure “overprotection”. The child takes this test, listing their own experiences with their parent(s). The responses are on a 4-point scale, ranging from 0 (very unlikely) to 3 (very likely). It focuses on a “Care versus Over-protection” style of parenting, as well as some parental support assessment. Based on responses, parents will be put into one of four categories: affectionate constraint, affectionless control, optimal parenting, and neglectful parenting. 

The Parental Bonding Instrument Test

Masud, S., Mufarrih, S. H., Qureshi, N. Q., Khan, F., Khan, S., & Khan, M. N. (2019, November 8). Academic performance in adolescent students: The role of parenting styles and socio-demographic factors – a cross sectional study from Peshawar, Pakistan. Frontiers. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02497/full 

Academic Performance in Adolescent Students: The Role of Parenting Styles and Socio-Demographic Factors – A Cross Sectional Study From Peshawar, Pakistan

Care relates to the actions and behaviors that one shows to assist another person in their wellbeing. Caring parents act like a safety net behind their children, ready to help them if they need help. Parents exhibiting overprotection, or control, show excessive involvement in a child’s life, are typically domineering, and display intrusive behaviors. 

Care vs. Overprotection/Control

Affectionate constraint is the combination of high care and high control. 

Affectionate Constraint

Affectionless control is the combination of low care and high control. Affectionless control shown by the father was the only parenting style shown to significantly contribute to improved academic performance.

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