Who benefits from autonomy-supportive parenting? Considering individual difference in adolescent emotional reactivity

Dramatic changes occur during adolescence, elevating vulnerability to mental health problems. This study investigated the differential effect of autonomy-supportive parenting on adolescent mental health outcomes and the moderating role of adolescent emotional reactivity. We hypothesized that autonomy-supportive parenting would be beneficial for adolescents’ mental health and that emotional reactivity would moderate this effect, such that low adolescent emotional reactivity plus high autonomy-supportive parenting would produce higher positive affect and flourishing and lower negative affect, depression, and anxiety. This study included 188 adolescents from two-caregiver families who completed surveys on autonomy-supportive parenting and emotional reactivity at baseline survey: positive affect, flourishing, negative affect, anxiety, and depression at baseline and 12-month follow-up assessments. Results indicated that higher levels of autonomy-supportive parenting were associated with increased flourishing and decreased negative affect and anxiety 12 months later. Interaction analysis revealed that for adolescents with low emotional reactivity, higher levels of autonomy-supportive parenting were associated with increases in positive affect and flourishing and decreases in negative affect and depression. For adolescents with high emotional reactivity, higher levels of autonomy-supportive parenting were associated with decreases in positive affect and flourishing. These findings underscore the importance of considering the role of adolescent emotional reactivity in understanding the effects of autonomy-supportive parenting on adolescent well-being, especially when personalizing parenting-focused interventions.

Files

Metadata

Work Title Who benefits from autonomy-supportive parenting? Considering individual difference in adolescent emotional reactivity
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Lan Chen
  2. Gregory M. Fosco
  3. Samantha L. Tornello
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Journal of Child and Family Studies
Publication Date March 1, 2024
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02807-0
Deposited May 31, 2024

Versions

Analytics

Collections

This resource is currently not in any collection.

Work History

Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Added Chen_Fosco_Tornello_2024_Who_benefits_from_antonomy_supportive_parenting.pdf
  • Added Creator Lan Chen
  • Added Creator Gregory M. Fosco
  • Added Creator Samantha L. Tornello
  • Published
  • Updated
  • Updated Publication Date Show Changes
    Publication Date
    • 2024-04-01
    • 2024-03-01