**8. Study 5 - Comparison of parenting styles of Nigerian and Cameroonian samples [27]**

#### **8.1. Participants and Procedure**

The participants were made up of 355 secondary school students from Lagos and Ibadan cities in Nigeria, and 156 college students from Bamenda in Cameroon. There were 221 males and 290 females in the sample and their ages ranged between 13 and 27years.The participants responded to questionnaires on parenting style and sexual attitude. Results for the distribution of the parenting styles are presented below:

parents. From the results in studies 3 and 4 above (tables 5 and 6) it can be deduced that Nigerian parents are evolving by progressing from being authoritarian and authoritative simultaneously to being authoritative and this may be the reason why the authoritarian/ authoritative parenting style hybrid had highest proportions when the children were younger ( e.g. tables 5 and 6), and authoritative parenting style had highest proportions when the

Undifferentiated 21 5.92 - 8 5.13 - 29 5.68 - Total 355 100 - 156 100 - 511 100 -

**Table 7.** Distribution of Parenting styles and their hybrids for Nigeria and Cameroon Samples

**Cameroon No of Participants = 156**

Cultural Variations in Parenting Styles in the Majority World Evidences from Nigeria and Cameroon

**No % X2 No % X2 No % X2**

4 1.13 - 49 31.4 **5.72\*** 53 10.37 **3.82\***

4 1.13 - 8 5.13 - 12 2.35 -

147 41.4 **8.01\*** - - - 147 28.77 **5.11\***

13 3.66 - 3 1.92 - 16 3.13 -

Permissive - - - 85 54.5 **9.47\*** 85 16.63 **4.20\*** Authoritarian 15 4.23 - 2 1.28 - 17 3.33 - Authoritative 151 42.5 **8.11\*** 1 0.64 - 152 29.75 **5.40\***

**Total Sample No of Participants =511**

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For Cameroonian sample the results in table 7 that indicated that Cameroonian parents are predominantly permissive (e.g. 54.5% of sample), agrees with Ngale's deduction that the Cameroonian parenting style that puts the responsibility of parenting on the peer culture is permissive and that the stereotypic traditional authoritarian parenting style they so claim to be practicing has become dysfunctional or at best superficial. On the other hand the second dominant parenting style of permissive/authoritarian parenting style hybrid (31.4% of the sample) documented in this study, supports the notion of the power inherent in the expecta‐ tions and directives of absent (authoritarian) parents, the power which enforces and maintain self-regulation within the peer culture, [22]. The implication here is that Cameroonian parents actively practice permissive parenting style as well as the permissive/authoritarian parenting style hybrid. The scores of the participants on the three single parenting styles were analysed

and compared. The results are presented in table 8 below:

respondents were older.

**Parenting styles Nigeria**

Permissive/ Authoritarian

Permissive/ Authoritative

Authoritarian/ Authoritative

Permissive/ Authoritarian/ authoritative

**No of Participants = 355**

\* Note: (Critical value of X2 = 1.96 P<.05) table extracted from [27]

From the results in table 7, 151, (42.5%) Nigerian respondents reported being brought up under authoritative parenting strategy, and 147, (41.4%), reported being brought up under the authoritarian/authoritative parenting style hybrid. 85 (54.5%) Cameroonian respondents reported being brought up under permissive parenting, and 49 (31.4%) reported being brought up under the permissive/authoritarian parenting style hybrid. The chi-square values for these proportions are significant at P<.05. These results indicate therefore that the dominant parenting styles adopted by Nigerian parents are the authoritative parenting style and the authoritarian/authoritative parenting style hybrid. Furthermore the results indicate that the dominant parenting styles adopted by Cameroonian parents are the permissive parenting style and the permissive/authoritarian parenting style hybrid.

The results for Nigerian samples in table 7 are consistent with earlier findings in studies (1-4) reviewed above and further confirm the authoritative/authoritarian parenting style hybrid and the authoritative parenting style as the parenting styles being actively practiced by Nigerian


**Table 7.** Distribution of Parenting styles and their hybrids for Nigeria and Cameroon Samples

It is necessary to note at this point that some consistencies have been recorded in the outcome of the studies. For example in the first two studies (study 1 and study 2) where the participants were adolescents and young people, the highest proportion of them ( e.g. 45.3%, 61.1%), reported being brought up under authoritative parenting. This was followed by the authori‐ tarian/authoritative parenting style proportion of (29.8%, 29.8%) respectively. In study 3 and study 4 where the children that participated in the research were younger, the highest proportion of them reported being brought up under the authoritarian/authoritative parenting style hybrid (e.g. 48.3%, 61.38%) respectively. The next higher proportion in study 3 is the hybrid that combines the three single parenting styles which is (20%), and this is followed by the proportion for the authoritative parenting style (14%). For study 4 the next higher propor‐ tion is for the authoritative parenting which is (18.26%), and which is followed by the propor‐ tion of the combination of the three single parenting styles hybrid. One deduction that can be made from these results is that for Nigerian children when they are young dominantly perceive their parents' parenting styles as a combination of authoritarian and authoritative parenting style. As they grow older they begin to see their parents as more authoritative and less authoritarian. The next study reported below compares the parenting styles of Nigerian

**8. Study 5 - Comparison of parenting styles of Nigerian and Cameroonian**

The participants were made up of 355 secondary school students from Lagos and Ibadan cities in Nigeria, and 156 college students from Bamenda in Cameroon. There were 221 males and 290 females in the sample and their ages ranged between 13 and 27years.The participants responded to questionnaires on parenting style and sexual attitude. Results for the distribution

From the results in table 7, 151, (42.5%) Nigerian respondents reported being brought up under authoritative parenting strategy, and 147, (41.4%), reported being brought up under the authoritarian/authoritative parenting style hybrid. 85 (54.5%) Cameroonian respondents reported being brought up under permissive parenting, and 49 (31.4%) reported being brought up under the permissive/authoritarian parenting style hybrid. The chi-square values for these proportions are significant at P<.05. These results indicate therefore that the dominant parenting styles adopted by Nigerian parents are the authoritative parenting style and the authoritarian/authoritative parenting style hybrid. Furthermore the results indicate that the dominant parenting styles adopted by Cameroonian parents are the permissive parenting style

The results for Nigerian samples in table 7 are consistent with earlier findings in studies (1-4) reviewed above and further confirm the authoritative/authoritarian parenting style hybrid and the authoritative parenting style as the parenting styles being actively practiced by Nigerian

parents with that of Cameroonian parents.

90 Parenting in South American and African Contexts

of the parenting styles are presented below:

and the permissive/authoritarian parenting style hybrid.

**samples [27]**

**8.1. Participants and Procedure**

parents. From the results in studies 3 and 4 above (tables 5 and 6) it can be deduced that Nigerian parents are evolving by progressing from being authoritarian and authoritative simultaneously to being authoritative and this may be the reason why the authoritarian/ authoritative parenting style hybrid had highest proportions when the children were younger ( e.g. tables 5 and 6), and authoritative parenting style had highest proportions when the respondents were older.

For Cameroonian sample the results in table 7 that indicated that Cameroonian parents are predominantly permissive (e.g. 54.5% of sample), agrees with Ngale's deduction that the Cameroonian parenting style that puts the responsibility of parenting on the peer culture is permissive and that the stereotypic traditional authoritarian parenting style they so claim to be practicing has become dysfunctional or at best superficial. On the other hand the second dominant parenting style of permissive/authoritarian parenting style hybrid (31.4% of the sample) documented in this study, supports the notion of the power inherent in the expecta‐ tions and directives of absent (authoritarian) parents, the power which enforces and maintain self-regulation within the peer culture, [22]. The implication here is that Cameroonian parents actively practice permissive parenting style as well as the permissive/authoritarian parenting style hybrid. The scores of the participants on the three single parenting styles were analysed and compared. The results are presented in table 8 below:


(Nigerians), brought up under authoritative parenting, authoritarian parenting, and the authoritative/authoritarian parenting hybrid were not significantly different in their levels of sense of competence, need for achievement, locus of control, and academic achieve‐ ment. However participants brought up under authoritative parenting style reported the highest level of self esteem when compared to other parenting styles, [13]. These results indicate that the three parenting strategies are equally effective for Nigerian parents. In the same way it was found that the Nigerian and Cameroonian participants were not statistical‐ ly different in their restraint, liberal and permissive attitudes towards sexuality issues, and interestingly the Cameroonian participants reported significantly higher judgemental attitude and attitude toward parental responsibility with respect to sexuality issues, [27]. This finding implies that the parental strategies being practiced by Cameroonian parents are effective in achieving their parenting goals. A broader implication of these findings is that parenting styles adopted by a group is a function of the values upheld by the group and the goals of parenting of that group. Besides, a number of studies have demonstrat‐ ed that different parental strategies work for different groups in different cultural con‐ texts. For example some studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of authoritative parenting both in individualistic and collectivistic cultures, see [28, 29, 13], while some other studies have also demonstrated the beneficial effects of authoritarian parenting especially in collectivistic cultures, see [7, 30, 31, 13]. Even the permissive parenting style which is associated with negative outcomes, [32], just like authoritarian parenting style, [11], has also been found to be effective in bringing positive child outcomes for Cameroonian parents, [27]. The general conclusion that can be drawn from all these studies is that parenting style as a global construct reflects the quality of parent-child relationships which varies from one cultural context to another and which is driven by the cultural beliefs, values, and practices of the particular culture. As suggested, see [8], when parenting behaviour is consistent with cultural values then the children in that culture will accept it. It therefore follows that in the countries or societies in which authoritative, authoritarian and permissive parenting styles bring about positive child outcomes, parental behaviours must have been consis‐ tent with the cultural values of such countries. In addition whether a particular parenting style produces positive or negative child outcomes would depend on the culture within

Cultural Variations in Parenting Styles in the Majority World Evidences from Nigeria and Cameroon

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Finally it would be interesting if future researchers can explore the possibility of the existence of hybrids of the three single parenting styles in other cultures beside Nigeria and Cameroon

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, Nigeria

which it is practiced.

**Author details**

Esther F. Akinsola\*

which has been documented.

Address all correspondence to: foluk6@yahoo.com

**Table 8.** Parenting style mean scores for Nigerian and Cameroon participants (Extracted from [27])

From table 8 above it can be seen that Nigerian participants scored significantly higher than Cameroonian participants on authoritative scale indicating that Nigerian parents are more authoritative in their parenting strategy than Cameroonian parents. On the other hand Cameroonian participants scored significantly higher than Nigerian participants on permis‐ sive and authoritarian parenting scale. This indicates that Cameroonian parents are more permissive and authoritarian in their parenting approach than Nigerian parents. However the authoritarian parenting style being practiced by Cameroonian parents are indirect and invisible. The findings also agree with the findings of [18], that reported permissive parenting practices among Cameroonian parents on the one hand and report of Cameroonian parents' belief in and adoption of authoritarian parenting strategy on the other hand [3].
