Supportive parenting linked to richer, happier kids later

Parents, take note! Children who receive positive attention and care from their parents have high incomes, increased happiness levels, academic success and strong morality later in life, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Kobe University and Doshisha University in Japan studied the effects of prevailing parenting techniques.

They obtained answers from 5,000 women and men to questions about their relationships with their parents during childhood - including statements such as ‘my parents trusted me,’ and ‘I felt like my family had no interest in me.’

Researchers then identified (dis)interest, rules, trust and independence as key factors, along with time spent together as well as scolding experiences.

Based on the findings, they divided parenting techniques into six groups - supportive, strict, indulgent, easygoing, average and harsh.

The first group (supportive) was denoted by average to high levels of independence and large amount of time spent together, while the last (harsh) was marked by strictness, low interest in the child, low independence and low trust levels, researchers said.

They found that individuals who experienced ‘supportive’ child-rearing - where their parents provided a lot of care and positive attention - had high salary levels, academic accomplishment and happiness levels.

Those who were raised through ‘strict’ parental ways - where their parents paid them attention combined with strict discipline - had high salaries and academic achievement, but reduced happiness and increased stress levels, researchers said.