10 American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) ISSN (Print) 2313-4410, ISSN (Online) 2313-4402 © Global Society of Scientific Research and Researchers http://asrjetsjournal.org/ Correlations between Parenting Style and Self-help Skills in Preschool Children (3 – 6 Years Old) I Ketut Putra* Health Polytechnic of Palu, Health Ministry of Indonesia. Abstract Background: Early identification that has been done lately at Pembina State Kindergarten determined that 4 out of 7 preschool children were able to do their own activities without depended on their teachers, such as took a pee in the toilet and get their shoes on by themselves; whilst 3 other children seemed less-autonomous. Their parents stated that they rarely involved the children in decision making and let the parents decided. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlations between parenting style and self-help skills in preschool children. This study was analytical research. Populations of this research are 44 children aged 3-6 years old were recruited using purposive sampling and their parents also completed questionnaire assessed. The data were analyzed statistically using Chi-square (α = 0.05). The result of the study determined that authoritative parenting (combination of demanding and responsive parents) could develop self-help skills in 5 of 16 children (11,4%) and 11 of 16 less-autonomous children (25%). Otherwise, authoritarian parenting could develop self-help skills in 22 of 28 children (50%) and 6 of 28 less-autonomous children (13,6%). It is concluded that there are correlations between parenting styles and self-help skills in preschool children. Based on these results, it is suggested for parents to choose the right parenting style, which leads their children to be more active and autonomous. The children should get used to choose by themselves, which games they like or friends they want to play with. Keywords: Parenting Style; Self-Help Skill; Preschool 3- 6 years old. 1. Introduction Parenting is interaction between children and parents in educating, guiding, and discipline and protecting the child to reach maturity in accordance with the norms that exist in society. -------------------------------------------------------- Corresponding author. http://asrjetsjournal.org/ American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2016) Volume 24, No 1, pp 10-15 11 Basically parenting can be interpreted across the way treatment is applied to the parents of children [1]. Children are not just miniature adults but rather a unique individuals. It means that children shouldn’t be viewed only from their physical size; otherwise as a unique individual which have stages of growth and development. The children as a unique individual have different needs each other depend on their ages. A child has physiological needs, as well as nutritious foods to grow and develop normally, fluid, activity, rest, sleep, and others. Furthermore, they also have social and spiritual needs. It can be seen in their stages of growth and development [2]. Child during the period of pre-school play is a child's experience to achieve victory by completing puzzles, practicing the role of adults, mimicking the role of the attacker rather than the victim, (slaps dolls), mimicking the super powers and get things rejected in real life, is showing creative motivation clearer [3]. Parenting style has a big impact on children’s character building. Every family has their own parenting style. Therefore, it can affects their acceptance in achieving great values: religion, empathy, and moral socialization. Parenting involves bidirectional relationships between members of two generations: parent and child, in according to fulfill physical and psychological needs of children [4]. The family is the most important influence on a child, because child’s life depends on their family environment. This element recognizes that the family is the constant in the child’s life. The ultimate responsibility for addressing a child’s health, developmental, social and emotional needs lies with the family. Children need family’s support to encourage their stability growth and development. This support can be found in parenting style [2]. Reference [5] classifies parenting style as authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parenting. Authoritarian parents try to control their children’s behavior and attitudes through unquestioned mandates. Besides, the parents don’t give any chances for the children to speak up their minds. Authoritarian parenting style makes the children more autonomous because of the discipline and decisive itself. This autonomous is not based on the children self-awareness, but from the parents’ enforcement in reaching achievement. Permissive parents exert little or no control over their children’s actions. They avoid imposing their own standards of conduct and allow their children to regulate their own activity as much as possible. These parents consider themselves to be resources for the children, not role models. If rules do exist, the parents explain the underlying reason, elicit the children’s opinions, and consult them in decision-making processes. While authoritative parenting style direct their children’s behavior and attitudes by emphasizing the reason for rules and negatively reinforcing deviations. They respect the individuality of each child and allow the child to voice objections to family standards. Wong showed in his research that authoritative parenting style is very supportive in developing healthy autonomy in children. 2. Methods This study provides a cross-sectional analytical correlational research design. Populations of this study are 192 parents and preschool children (3-6 years old) at Pembina State Kindergarten, Palu. Sample were collected from 44 parents and preschool children using simple random sampling. Parents and children assessed by American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2016) Volume 24, No 1, pp 10-15 12 questionnaires and met the inclusion criteria. The data were analyzed statistically using Chi-square. 3. Discussion and Results Statistic results of the correlations between parenting style and self-help skills in preschool children (3-6 years old) at Pembina State Kindergarten, Palu as follows: Tabel 1: Correlations between parenting style and self-help skills in preschool children (3-6 years old) at Pembina State Kindergarten, Palu. Parenting Style autonomous of children Totaly P Value Autonomous children Less-Autonomous Children F % F % F % No authoritative 5 11,4 11 25 16 100 0,005 authoritative 22 50 6 13,6 28 100 Totaly 27 61,4 13 38,6 44 100 Table 1 shows that parents with authoritative parenting style as much as 28 respondents (63,6%) resulting 6 less-autonomous children (13,6%) and 22 autonomous children (50%). Otherwise, authoritarian parenting style as much as 16 respondents (36,4%) resulting 11 less-autonomous children (25%) and 5 autonomous children (11,4%). Statistic results with Chi-square test with p-value 0,005 (ρ>0,05). It is concluded that there are correlations between parenting style and self-help skills in preschool children at Pembina State Kindergarten, Palu. Discussion The results of this study shows that the most widely used is authoritative parenting style than authoritarian parenting style. Children with authoritative parenting style have better autonomous. Besides, authoritarian parenting style results in less-autonomous children. From the results above, researchers assume that authoritative parenting style is the best choice for the children, because of the independency that parents gave and also with strongly controlling which the children do things by themselves, such as take a bath, eat, tidy up their school set, and put their shoes on by themselves. They almost do all the activities by their own. This means that authoritative parenting style is the most dominance after all. Whilst, authoritarian parenting style give independency to the children without any controlling so that the children’s ability to do their activities by their own were misinterpreted by their parents. Authoritarian parenting style often leads to rearing a spoiled children, because of the overprotective parents. In authoritative parenting style also provide opportunities for children to explore and manipulate the American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2016) Volume 24, No 1, pp 10-15 13 environment that embodies the motive competence [8]. The toddler in addition to the environment inside the house, the environment outside the home have been introduced, the child began to love to play outside the home, the child began to make friends, even many families who spend most of the time children play outside the home by bringing the child ketaman-playground or the place where providing games facilities for children [9]. Analytical results about authoritarian parenting style determined that no significant correlations between permissive parenting style with self-help skills in children. From the results above, researchers assume that permissive parenting style is not suitable for children. Uncontrolled independency can induce the children being afraid of what they do and it leads to rearing a spoiled child. In this study, 16 respondents applied permissive and authoritarian parenting style, while 28 others applied non-permissive and authoritarian parenting style. Reference [12] stated that permissive parenting style don’t give any boundaries for children. The parents are ignorant so the children feel free to do anything like absent in school, naughty, bad society, and so on. In permissive parenting style, parents show low demandingness, little parental guidance and control, and low attention. Children fully controlled themselves. Routinely these parents are too busy or self-involved to support their child in school. Children live on easy street and grow freely as they want to be. They eventually become less attention, unintended, inferior, naughty, neglectful, bad social life, poor self-control, false interaction, disrespectful, from childhood until adulthood, it could be the worst method in parenting [4]. Though the lifetime of children ages toddler was the golden era or the golden period which was the establishment of the basics ability keideraan, speaking and mental growth, so at this time stimulation guidance is focused on the environment is important to optimize the functions of organs and stimulation of the development of the brain [11]. Analysis results that there are correlations between authoritative parenting style and self-help skills in preschool children. We assume that there are correlations and self-helps skills in preschool children because the more often parents give the child the freedom to be creative and explore various things in accordance with the child's development and right control from the parents will lead the child to be more autonomous. It is proven with the amount of parents which apply authoritative parenting as much as 28 respondents and other 16 respondents apply authoritarian parenting style. Children who are educated in an authoritative way generally tend to express aggressiveness in constructive action in the form of hatred or temporary. That is, if angry, his anger would not be protracted again until grudge [4]. Reference [12] also concluded that authoritative parenting style built up understanding and respectfulness. The parents give the child the freedom to be more creative and explore various things in accordance with all the children activities, self-decision making with parents, and let the children speak up the reason why they break the rules, certainly with the right controlling from the parents. Authoritative parenting style is the ideal method that adjusted to the parents and children. Authoritative children generally cheerful, delightful, creative, smart, American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2016) Volume 24, No 1, pp 10-15 14 have good confidence, extrovert, respectful, have good accomplishment, and also people naturally loves them. Therefore, in terms of parenting, the main process is given by the family to a child is education that can foster the child's independence [13]. 4. Conclusion There are correlations between parenting style and self-help skills in preschool children at Pembina State Kindergarten, Palu. Acknowledgements The parents are expected to choose the right parenting style that leads the children to be more active and autonomous. The children should get used to choose by themselves, which games they like or friends they want to play with. Further research should be develop more variables to be reviewed and apply other qualitative or quantitative research design in order to obtain the better result. References [1] Edwards, D. 2006. Ketika Anak Sulit Diatur: Panduan Bagi Para Orang Tua Untuk Mengubah Masalah Perilaku Anak.: Kaifa Jakarta. [2] Hidayat, A.A. 2005. Pengantar Ilmu Keperawatan anak Salemba Medika. Jakarta. [3] Wahab dkk.,2000, Ilmu Kesehatan anak Vol.1 Edisi 15, EGC. Jakarta. [4] Fathi, B. 2003. Mendidik Anak Dengan Alqur’an. OASIS. Bandung. [5] Wong, Hockenberry, Wilson, Winkelstein, & Schwertz. 2008. Buku Ajar Keperawatan Pediatrik. Edisi 6. Jakarta: EGC. [6] Notoatmodjo, S. 2012. Metodologi Penelitian Kesehatan.: Rineka Cipta. Jakarta. [7] Nursalam, 2003. Konsep & Penerapan Metodologi Penelitian Ilmu Keperawatan: Pedoman Skripsi, Tesis, dan Instrumen Penelitian Keperawatan. Salemba Medika. Jakarta. [8] Soetjiningsih , 1005. Tumbuh kembang anak, EGC, Jakarta. [9] Kementerian kesehatan RI.2016.Pedoman pelaksanaan Stimulasi Deteksi dan Intervensi dini tumbuh kembang anak. Jakarta. [10] Narendra,et all, 2005. Tumbuh kembang anak dan remaja , cv. Sagung Seto, Jakarta. American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2016) Volume 24, No 1, pp 10-15 15 [11] Kementerian kesehatan RI.2014. Surveilans kesehatan anak. Jakarta. [12] Prayitno & Basa. 2004. Anakku Penyejuk Hati. Cetakan Kedua.: Pustaka Tarbiatuna. Bekasi. [13] Supartini, Y. 2004. Buku Ajar Konsep Dasar Keperawatan Anak. Cetakan Pertama.: EGC. Jakarta