Parental Disciplinary Practices and Psychological Well-Being Among Pre-Primary Learners in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya

Psychological well-being during early childhood constitutes a critical foundation for children's cognitive, emotional and social development, yet increasing evidence indicates that many young learners experience emotional and behavioural difficulties linked to family environments and parenting practices. Despite extensive international research on parenting styles, empirical evidence examining the influence of parental disciplinary practices on the psychological well-being of pre-primary learners within Sub-Saharan Africa remains limited. This study examined the influence of parental disciplinary practices on the psychological well-being of learners attending public pre-primary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory and Ecological Systems Theory, the study adopted a correlational cross-sectional survey design embedded within a convergent mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were obtained from teachers using structured questionnaires and learner observational checklists, while qualitative data were collected through interviews with parents to provide contextual understanding of disciplinary practices. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and Chi-square analyses were employed to analyze quantitative data, whereas qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that permissive and authoritative disciplinary practices were the most prevalent parenting approaches observed among learners. Although the overall association between parental disciplinary practices and learners' psychological well-being was not statistically significant, authoritative and democratic disciplinary practices demonstrated positive relationships with self-esteem, emotional regulation, and social competence, whereas authoritarian practices were negatively associated with children's anxiety management. Qualitative findings further indicated that supportive guidance, parent-child communication and participatory decision-making promoted children's emotional confidence, while punitive disciplinary approaches were perceived to undermine emotional security. The study concludes that disciplinary practices do not influence children's psychological well-being uniformly; rather, specific disciplinary approaches differentially shape particular dimensions of psychological functioning. The findings contribute context-specific evidence to the growing literature on parenting and child mental health in low- and middle-income countries and underscore the importance of promoting positive parenting interventions that emphasize warmth, communication and developmentally appropriate discipline within early childhood education.