Disentangling Observed and Perceived Autonomy-Supportive Parenting in Relation to Adolescent Reactivity in Affective State

Adolescence is well-recognized as a critical period of emotional development in which parenting plays a prominent role, yet little is known about how autonomy-supportive parenting impacts adolescents’ positive and negative affective states. The present study contributed to existing literature by (1) disentangling observed and perceived autonomy-supportive (AS) parenting and investigating its relative impacts on adolescent reactivity in positive/negative affect during a parent-adolescent interaction, and (2) whether adolescents’ use of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation (CER) strategies moderated this relationship. The sample consisted of 78 healthy control adolescents (Mage = 15.96, SD = 1.34; 62.8% girls) and 139 parents (Mage = 49.16, SD = 5.90; 54.7% mothers). Participants were observed during a parent-adolescent interaction task in a laboratory visit, in which the adolescent disclosed a negative experience to their parent. Adolescents reported perceived AS parenting post...Show moreAdolescence is well-recognized as a critical period of emotional development in which parenting plays a prominent role, yet little is known about how autonomy-supportive parenting impacts adolescents’ positive and negative affective states. The present study contributed to existing literature by (1) disentangling observed and perceived autonomy-supportive (AS) parenting and investigating its relative impacts on adolescent reactivity in positive/negative affect during a parent-adolescent interaction, and (2) whether adolescents’ use of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation (CER) strategies moderated this relationship. The sample consisted of 78 healthy control adolescents (Mage = 15.96, SD = 1.34; 62.8% girls) and 139 parents (Mage = 49.16, SD = 5.90; 54.7% mothers). Participants were observed during a parent-adolescent interaction task in a laboratory visit, in which the adolescent disclosed a negative experience to their parent. Adolescents reported perceived AS parenting post-task and rated their positive/negative affect immediately pre- and post-interaction. Trained coders rated observed AS parenting and maladaptive CER were assessed with a shortened CERQ. Two three-step hierarchical regression models showed that, contrary to hypotheses, neither observed nor perceived AS parenting influenced adolescent reactivity in positive/negative affect, nor did maladaptive CER moderate these associations. An unexpected finding was that higher perceived AS parenting was correlated with greater use of maladaptive CER, pointing to the importance of adolescents’ subjective interpretations of parental behavior. Taken together, the findings suggest that while AS parenting is known to promote adolescents’ long-term emotional well-being, it may not exert immediate effects on adolescents’ affective state within the context of a single brief interaction.Show less

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Disentangling Observed and Perceived Autonomy-Supportive Parenting in Relation to Adolescent Reactivity in Affective State