Effects of Genocide Against the Tutsi Survivors’ Parenting Styles on Youth’s Mental Health in Rwanda: A Case of Kigali City
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2026.v11.n06.005Keywords:
Genocide against the Tutsi, Intergenerational Trauma, Parenting Styles, Youth Mental Health, Post-Conflict Rwanda, Kigali CityAbstract
Background: The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda left profound psychological scars that continue to influence family dynamics and the well-being of the second generation. This study investigated the effects of parenting styles adopted by genocide survivors on the mental health status of their youth in Kigali City, addressing a critical gap in understanding intergenerational trauma transmission in urban post-conflict settings. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional research design was employed. The target population comprised genocide survivor households across the three districts of Kigali City (Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Nyarugenge). Using a stratified two-stage cluster sampling technique, a sample of 376 parent-youth dyads was targeted, yielding a final analytical sample of 305 respondents (an 81.1% response rate). Data were collected using structured, interviewer-administered surveys featuring the Four-Factor Parenting Style Questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), which were translated and validated in Kinyarwanda. Data analysis involved Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression using SPSS. Results: The combined multiple regression model demonstrated strong explanatory power, accounting for 55.9% of the variance in youth mental health outcomes (R² = .559, p < .001). Uninvolved parenting emerged as the strongest positive predictor of youth psychological distress (β = .475), followed by authoritarian (β = .306), authoritative (β = .150), and permissive (β = .110) parenting styles. Notably, the unexpected positive association between authoritative parenting and youth distress highlights the complex influence of unresolved parental trauma and hyperarousal, where even warmth-and-structure-oriented practices may inadvertently transmit distress in this specific post-genocide context. Conclusion: Parenting styles significantly shape the mental health of youth in post-genocide Rwanda, with emotional disengagement and rigid control posing the highest risks. However, the pervasive impact of historical trauma means that family-level processes require specialized attention. The findings underscore the urgent need for trauma-informed, family-centered interventions that simultaneously address parental historical wounds and reshape parent-youth dynamics to foster psychological resilience in the younger generation.
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