Studying Family Functioning and the Role of Maternal Parenting Styles in Predicting Children's Behavioral Problems in Boys Aged 5 to 10 Years in Ahvaz City

Family environment is the most favorable place for the growth of the child and one’s mental and physical sublimation. The aim of this study was to study family functioning and the role of maternal parenting style in predicting children’s behavioral problems in boys aged 5 to 10 years in Ahvaz city. For this purpose, in a descriptive study, correlational type, 200 mothers were selected among mothers of boys aged 5 to 10 who were at preschool and primary school, in Ahvaz city. They were selected in a form of clustered multi-stage, randomly. They were tested in terms of family functioning, parenting styles and children's behavioral problems. For data analysis correlation coefficient and multiple regression were used. The results indicated that the authoritarian parenting style with mean of 22.33 is among the highest parenting style in mothers. Subscales of communication, emotional companionship, behavioral control and general family functioning had a significant relationship with behavioral problems. Authoritarian parenting style has a positive relationship with hyperactivity disorder and has a negative significant relationship with mood disorder. The result also indicated that permissive parenting style has a positive significant relationship with hyperactivity disorder, behavior, action and separation anxiety and a negative significant with mood disorder. The results indicated that only the subscales of emotional companionship was able to predict separation anxiety disorder. Permissive parenting style was able to predict hyperactivity disorder and separation anxiety, authoritarian style parenting style was able to predict behavior and action disorder and mood disorder, authoritative parenting style was able to predict separation anxiety.