The Influence of Positive Parenting on Parenting Stress in Parents of Elementary School-Aged Children

Abstract

Parenting stress is one of the psychological challenges frequently experienced by parents in carrying out their parenting roles. Positive parenting is generally considered a protective factor that can help reduce parenting stress; however, the relationship between these variables may be more complex in daily parenting contexts. This study aimed to examine the effect of positive parenting on parenting stress among parents of students at MI Ma’arif NU 5 Sekampung. This study employed a quantitative correlational design involving 154 parents selected through stratified random sampling from a population of 253 parents. Data were collected using the Nicomachus-Positive Parenting Scale (NPP; α = .817) and the Parental Stress Scale (PSS; composite reliability > .80), and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between positive parenting and parenting stress (r = .249, p = .002). Regression analysis also showed that positive parenting significantly predicted parenting stress (β = .249, p = .002) and accounted for 6.2% of the variance in parenting stress (R² = .062). Contrary to the initial hypothesis, higher levels of positive parenting were associated with higher levels of parenting stress. These findings suggest that positive parenting does not always function as a protective factor against parenting stress and may coexist with increased parenting demands and parental involvement. The study contributes to the understanding of family psychology and educational counseling by highlighting the dynamic and multidimensional relationship between positive parenting and parenting stress.