Parenting, Social Norms and Adolescent Risky Behaviors

Donatella Lanari (), Lucia Mangiavacchi (), Luca Piccoli and Luca Pieroni
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Donatella Lanari: University of Perugia
Lucia Mangiavacchi: University of Perugia

No 18063, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This study investigates the association between childhood parenting styles and the emergence of risk-taking behaviors in young adulthood, a critical life course transition. Utilizing data on risk-taking behaviors among college students, alongside variables reflecting parent-child relationships in the family of origin, we derive classifications of parenting styles. The empirical findings reveal that individuals exposed to authoritarian parenting, and to a lesser extent, permissive parenting, demonstrate an increased propensity for engaging in diverse risk-taking behaviors, both in frequency and intensity. Conversely, authoritative parenting appears to exert a partial mitigating influence on these behaviors. Furthermore, by analyzing a sub-sample of students who migrated to a different province to enroll in a University degree, we explore the impact of parental social norms prevalent in their provinces of origin on these behaviors, observing a limited effect. These findings contribute to the understanding of how family and environmental influences during critical life stages shape health-related behaviors and potentially impact life-course and human capital trajectories.

Keywords: adolescence; risky behaviors; parenting styles; social norms; culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 I3 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-08
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