Parental authority, parent-child relationship and gender differences: a study of college students in the Malaysian context

The study aims to investigate the relationship between parental authority and parent-child relationship and also to explore the differences between males and females in terms of their relationship with their parents. The study was conducted among 160 participants between the age of 17 to 25 in Klang Valley, Selangor, Malaysia. The instruments used in the present study were Parent- Child Relationship Survey (PCRS) and Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ). The results revealed that there is a significant parent-child relationship when the mother or father was authoritative in their parenting style. Furthermore, male participants rated both parents as significantly more authoritarian as compared to female participants. Male participants also rated both parents as significantly more permissive as compared to the ratings of their counterparts. Lastly, there was no significant difference between gender and parent-child relationship.