Relationship between parenting styles and sexual self-esteem and it's components in university students

The aim of this study was to determine relationships among parenting styles and sexual self-esteem and its’ components (Skill، experience، control، attractiveness، adaptiveness and moral judgment). Method was descriptive research and correlation. Using Kerejci-Morgan''s chart (1970) 345 female university students out of 3200 in literature and foreign language faculty of Islamic Azad university in Karaj have been selected as accessible samples، in 2010. In their selection we had taken factors into account such as: 1. Marital status 2. Having couple life experience at least for two years 3. Having their mothers alive. Tools of study were sexual self-esteem questionnaire for women by Zeanah & Schwarz (1996) and parenting styles questionnaire by Bamrind 1972. Results indicated that authoritarian parenting style had a positive relationship with the components of control and attractiveness، but it had a negative relationship with the components of skill and experience. Indulgent parenting style had a positive relationship with the components of skill، experience and attractiveness، but it had a negative relationship with the component of control. Authoritarian parenting style had a negative relationship with control and attractiveness and had no significant relationship with the other components An appropriate parenting style is an essential element in sexual self-esteem development and sexual self- esteem plays a crucial role in fortifying psychological factors such as physical attractiveness، sexual emotions، thoughts and behavior. Moreover for a healthy sexual relationship، beside sexual hormones، psychological factors are of great importance as well. So it’s necessary that parents be trained for a suitable style، that they can promote their children sexual self-esteem by applying the right way of child rearing، and hereby prevent from family breakdown and unrestrained sexual affairs in their future life.