PARENTAL INDULGENCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG PRE-PRIMARY LEARNERS IN KENYA: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF EVIDENCE FROM THARAKA-NITHI COUNTY

نویسندگان

  • Erastus Catherine Ndago PhD Student, Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University, Nairobi, Kenya
  • Hannah Wanjiku Kanga’ra Senior Lecturer, Dr., Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University Nairobi, Kenya
  • Charles Kiptum Senior Lecturer, Dr., Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University Nairobi, Kenya
  • Joachim Njagi Lecturer, Dr., Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University Nairobi, Kenya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v13i9.7020

کلمات کلیدی:

parental indulgence, psychological well-being, pre-primary learners, relational indulgence, behavioural indulgence, emotional regulation, Kenya, early childhood development

چکیده

Psychological well-being in early childhood provides an important foundation for emotional regulation, self-esteem, anxiety management and social competence. Although parenting is widely recognized as a critical developmental context, empirical evidence from sub-Saharan Africa remains limited regarding how distinct forms of parental indulgence relate to children's psychological functioning. This study examined the relationship between parental indulgence practices and psychological well-being among learners in public pre-primary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. The study was guided by Social Cognitive Theory and Ecological Systems Theory and employed a convergent mixed-methods design within a cross-sectional correlational framework. Quantitative evidence comprised 327 learner observation checklists and eight teacher questionnaires, supplemented by qualitative interviews with parents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation and chi-square analysis, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. Behavioural indulgence was the most frequently observed form of parental indulgence (66.1%), followed by relational indulgence (28.7%) and material indulgence (5.2%). Pearson correlation analysis revealed a differentiated pattern of associations. Material indulgence was weakly positively associated with emotional regulation (r = .18, p < .05), self-esteem (r = .24, p < .05) and social skills (r = .15, p < .05), but was not significantly associated with anxiety management (r = −.12, p > .05). Relational indulgence demonstrated moderate-to-strong positive associations with emotional regulation (r = .51, p < .01), self-esteem (r = .57, p < .01), anxiety management (r = .43, p < .01) and social skills (r = .60, p < .01). In contrast, behavioural indulgence was negatively associated with emotional regulation (r = −.33, p < .01), self-esteem (r = −.29, p < .01), anxiety management (r = −.41, p < .01) and social skills (r = −.35, p < .01). The supplementary chi-square analysis based on the eight teacher respondents was not statistically significant, χ²(12) = 13.00, p = .369. The findings indicate that parental indulgence is not a homogeneous parenting practice: relational warmth and emotional availability were positively associated with psychological functioning, whereas behavioural permissiveness was consistently associated with poorer outcomes. The study concludes that early childhood parenting interventions should emphasize a combination of emotional warmth, responsive caregiving and developmentally appropriate behavioural structure rather than treating indulgence as uniformly beneficial or harmful.

بیوگرافی نویسندگان

  • Erastus Catherine Ndago، PhD Student, Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University, Nairobi, Kenya

    Erastus Catherine Ndago is a PhD candidate in Early Childhood Development and Education at Chuka University. Her academic interests are situated within early childhood education and related educational studies. She is a Part-time Lecturer in the Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development at Chuka University.

  • Hannah Wanjiku Kanga’ra، Senior Lecturer, Dr., Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University Nairobi, Kenya

    Hannah Wanjiku Kang’ara is a Lecturer in the Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University, Kenya. She holds a PhD in Early Childhood Education, a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education. Her research interests include Early Childhood Development and Education, preschool learning, instructional practices, parental participation in early childhood education and the integration of information and communication technology in early childhood teaching and learning. She is a member of the Early Childhood Professional Association of Kenya (ECPAK). Her scholarly work has addressed teachers’ instructional practices, teaching strategies, ICT integration and parents’ socio-economic status and participation in early childhood education programmes.

  • Charles Kiptum، Senior Lecturer, Dr., Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University Nairobi, Kenya

    Charles Kiptum is a Lecturer in the Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University, Kenya. He holds a DPhil in Educational Administration and Management from Moi University, a Master of Educational Administration and Management from Egerton University, and a Bachelor of Education (Arts) from the Catholic University. His areas of specialization include educational administration and management, instructional leadership and institutional performance. His professional experience includes teaching, school administration and educational leadership, including service as a secondary school principal before joining Chuka University.

  • Joachim Njagi، Lecturer, Dr., Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Resources Development, Chuka University Nairobi, Kenya

    Joachim Njagi is an education researcher affiliated with Chuka University, Kenya, whose scholarship focuses particularly on Early Childhood Development and Education, pedagogy, curriculum implementation, learner development and contemporary educational practices. His doctoral research at Chuka University examined multimodal instructional methods and learners’ environmental conservation competencies in lower primary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County. His research interests also encompass inquiry-based pedagogy, socio-emotional outcomes, curriculum development and innovative approaches to teaching and learning. His work has included research on environmental conservation education and learner outcomes.

مراجع

Borelli, J., Margolin, G., & Rasmussen, H. (2015). Parental overcontrol as a mechanism explaining the longitudinal association between parent and child anxiety. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(6), 1559-1574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-9960-1

Goagoses, N., Bolz, T., Eilts, J., Schipper, N., Schütz, J., Rademacher, A., Vesterling, C., & Koglin, U. (2023). Parenting dimensions/styles and emotion dysregulation in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Current Psychology, 42, 18798–18822. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03037-7

Grolnick, W., Caruso, A., & Levitt, M. (2019). Parenting and children’s self-regulation. Handbook of parenting: The practice of parenting. London: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429401695-2

Huang, L., Wu, W., & Yang, F. (2026). Parenting style and subjective well-being in children and youth: A meta-analysis. Psychological Reports, 129(2), 927–946. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941241256883

Huang, L., Wu, W., & Yang, F. (2026). Parenting style and subjective well-being in children and youth: A meta-analysis. Psychological Reports, 129(2), 927-946. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941241256883

Lobo, F., & Lunkenheimer, E. (2020). Understanding the parent-child coregulation patterns shaping child self-regulation. Developmental Psychology, 56(6), 1121. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000926

van der Bruggen, C., Stams, G., & Bögels, S. (2008). Research review: The relation between child and parent anxiety and parental control: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(12), 1257–1269. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01898.x

World Health Organization, UNICEF, & World Bank Group. (2018). Nurturing care for early childhood development: A framework for helping children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential. Geneva: World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/teams/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-health-and-ageing/child-health/nurturing-care

World Health Organization. (2018). Nurturing care for early childhood development: A framework for helping children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential. Geneva: World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/teams/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-health-and-ageing/child-health/nurturing-care

دانلودها

چاپ شده

2026-09-16

شماره

دوره 13 شماره 9 (2026)

نوع مقاله

Articles

مجوز

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).