The effect of parent-child relationships on self-efficacy and psychological well-being in adolescents

INTRODUCTION Research findings on family does not always gain attention, but studies on adolescence, particularly those involving parent-adolescent relationship, is an exception. Reviewing the scholarship of the previous 25 years at the turn of the millennium, Steinberg (2001) has even called for a new perspective on the family, "one that emphasizes the different viewpoints and stakes that parents and adolescents bring to their relationship with each other," with special focus on the mental health of both groups. 1.1 ADOLESCENCE Adolescence is a critical period between childhood and adulthood, characterized by physical, psychological and social transitions. The cognitive development is rapid during adolescence, with egocentric thoughts on the wane and individuals begin to think and reason more in an abstract manner (Piaget, 1936). As this is the peak period of character and personality formation, the thoughts, ideas, and concepts developed during this period influences their future life. An adolescent‟s world consists of close relationships with mother, father, siblings, relatives, friends, and teachers who are all significant people in their lives. The relationship with the parents has a particularly profound significance in an adolescent‟s life, with family being a major contextual factor that influences the psychological development. The conditions in which families operate mix together in unique ways to create a diverse environment that helps children, in general, to develop mentally, physically and socially over time. Quality of this relationship is a,