Parenting Styles and Self Employment Intentions Among Sri Lankan Youth: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy

Abstract

The impact of parenting styles on self-efficacy and self-employment intentions among youth remains underexplored in the Sri Lankan context. In particular, limited research has examined the mediating role of self-efficacy in this relationship. This study aims to investigate how different parenting styles affect the self-employment intentions of Sri Lankan youth, with a specific focus on self-efficacy as a mediating variable. Employing a quantitative research design, information was gathered from 248 youth respondents using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through Patial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that supportive and encouraging parenting styles positively influence both self-efficacy and the intention to pursue self-employment. Conversely, authoritarian or controlling parenting styles exert a negative effect on these outcomes. Furthermore, the results confirm that self-efficacy significantly mediates the relationship between parenting styles and self-employment intentions, highlighting its pivotal role in fostering entrepreneurial aspirations among youth.