CHILD REARING PRACTICES AND PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN IN CALABAR SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF CROSS RIVER STATE

The way children are raised has a significant impact on their psycho-social development, 
especially in societies that are undergoing fast socio-cultural change. This study's main goal 
was to investigate the connection between rearing practices and the psychosocial development 
of children in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. The study 
used a purposive strategy to sample 300 parents and caregivers using a descriptive survey 
design. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire that included standardized tools 
called the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Parenting Style and 
Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ). One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and descriptive 
statistics were used in the analysis, which was carried out using SPSS Version 26. Higher mean 
scores in emotional regulation, social competence, and behavioral adjustment demonstrated that 
authoritative parenting was the most common style (38.7%) and had the greatest beneficial 
effect on children's psycho-social development. On the other hand, children who experienced 
neglectful parenting had the worst psycho-social results. Statistically significant variations in 
developmental outcomes between the four parenting methods were confirmed by the ANOVA 
results (F = 96.257, p < 0.05). Children from authoritative homes did much better than their 
classmates from authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful homes, according to post hoc tests. In 
order to contextualize the study's findings within the larger cultural, economic, and 
psychological contexts of parenting in Calabar South, the Developmental Niche Theory was 
used. The study discovered that parenting practices and, in turn, children's emotional and social 
well-being were impacted by socioeconomic circumstances, caregiver mental health, and 
disjointed support networks. According to the study's findings, promoting children's healthy 
psycho-social development requires culturally sensitive parenting techniques in addition to 
financial and social assistance for caregivers. To address the issues that families face, the study.