Parenting Styles and Mental Health Among School-Going Students in Dhaka: A Comparative Cross Sectional Study Across Urban, Semi-Urban, and Rural Areas

Introduction: Adolescence is a critical period of physical, emotional, and social development, during which individuals are at heightened risk for mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Parenting styles play a key role in shaping adolescents’ mental health, yet little is known about how these effects vary across different geographic contexts. This study aimed to examine the relationship between parenting styles and mental health outcomes among school-going adolescents in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas of Dhaka. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 900 secondary school students (438 males, 462 females) from urban, semi-urban, and rural areas of Dhaka using multistage stratified random sampling. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire that included the Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Analyses were performed in SPSS version 26 using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression, with p<0.05 considered significant. Results: Among 900 participants (48.7% male, 51.3% female; mean age 14.46 ± 1.48 years), extreme levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were common, with anxiety being the most prevalent, especially in rural areas (91.3%). Depression and anxiety showed no significant differences across urban, semi-urban, and rural settings, but stress varied significantly (p<0.05). In urban areas, authoritative parenting by fathers and mothers was linked to lower depression, anxiety, and stress (p<0.05), while permissive and authoritarian styles showed mixed or negative associations. No significant associations were found in rural areas. Hierarchical regression revealed that residence and maternal factors were stronger predictors of anxiety and stress than parenting styles, with maternal education (β = 0.13, p<0.01) and occupation (β = 0.09, p<0.01) significantly associated with anxiety. Conclusion : Parenting styles affect adolescent mental health differently across settings, with parenting-based interventions more suited to urban areas, while community level strategies may be more effective in rural settings. Maternal education and socioeconomic factors should be prioritized in mental health programs.