Influence of Parenting Styles on Suicidal Ideations among Secondary School Students in Westlands Sub County, Nairobi Kenya

Suicidal ideations among secondary school students is proving to be a global problem. The rate at which such ideations have been noted in various countries is worrying. The intention of this study was to establish the influence of parenting styles on suicidal ideations among secondary school students in Westlands Sub County, Nairobi, Kenya. Mixed methods, explanatory sequential research design was applied. This combined Correlation and phenomenology designs. The target population was the secondary school students, in Westlands Sub County in Nairobi. Both probability and none probability sampling techniques were applied. Stratified sampling was used to select the schools while simple random and extreme case sampling were used to select students. A total of 241 sample size was used for the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Data analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation analysis, regression analysis and thematic analysis backed with narratives from participants. Authoritarian and Neglectful parenting styles exhibited a weak positive correlation with suicidal ideations while Authoritative and permissive styles had moderate negative correlations with these ideations. However, the relationship was significant as p ˂ 0.005. The study recommended training programs for parents on healthier ways of parenting and highlighted that parents ought to embrace their parenting role with commitment. Authoritative was preferred and where necessary permissive could be employed.