The Influence of Parental Behavior and the Importance of Self-Esteem in Adolescents

Adolescence is a time of great psychological change and research highlights the importance of self-esteem in relation to wellbeing. However, it is not clear which parental techniques contribute to high levels of self-esteem. In this research parental behavior strategies are investigated in relation to self-esteem of adolescents. The first aim of the study was to investigate the association between autonomy support and psychological control (AS/PC) and self-esteem in adolescents. Secondly, we explored if the relationship between observed parental behavior and self-esteem was mediated by adolescent gender and/or cognitive emotion regulation skills (CERS). Data from 142 parents and 80 healthy control group adolescents from the larger, ongoing Dutch research project ‘Relations and Emotions in Parent-Adolescent Interaction Research’ (RE-PAIR) were used. Self-esteem and CERS were measured with the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). Multiple...Show moreAdolescence is a time of great psychological change and research highlights the importance of self-esteem in relation to wellbeing. However, it is not clear which parental techniques contribute to high levels of self-esteem. In this research parental behavior strategies are investigated in relation to self-esteem of adolescents. The first aim of the study was to investigate the association between autonomy support and psychological control (AS/PC) and self-esteem in adolescents. Secondly, we explored if the relationship between observed parental behavior and self-esteem was mediated by adolescent gender and/or cognitive emotion regulation skills (CERS). Data from 142 parents and 80 healthy control group adolescents from the larger, ongoing Dutch research project ‘Relations and Emotions in Parent-Adolescent Interaction Research’ (RE-PAIR) were used. Self-esteem and CERS were measured with the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). Multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that AS/PC did not significantly predict self-esteem in adolescents and no moderating effect of adolescent gender was found. However, we did find a moderating effect from CERS on the relation between AS and self-esteem, with a weaker relation between AS and self-esteem for higher levels of CERS (β = -1.97, p = .002). Further studies are recommended to investigate the underlying mechanisms between parental behavior strategies and self-esteem in adolescents.Show less

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The Influence of Parental Behavior and the Importance of Self-Esteem in Adolescents