This study used hierarchical linear modelling to examine parental behaviors such as autonomy support and psychological control and their relation to adolescent attachment. Another goal was to find...Show moreThis study used hierarchical linear modelling to examine parental behaviors such as autonomy support and psychological control and their relation to adolescent attachment. Another goal was to find whether there were differences between mothers and fathers on their display of the investigated behaviors. The present sample consisted of adolescents (N=80) participating with their mothers (N=78) and fathers (N=65) from the Netherlands. Observational ratings of parental autonomy support and psychological control were obtained in mother/father-adolescent dyads performing a problem-solving task. Adolescent attachment was measured by adolescent report, using the parent scale of the revised inventory of parent and peer attachment (IPPA-R) by Raja et al (1992). Analyses indicated that parental autonomy support positively relates to adolescent attachment, while psychological control was not found to relate to adolescent attachment in this sample. Furthermore, results of parental gender differences were inconlusive. This study emphasizes the need to take into account parental behaviors when working with teenagers and the impact parents might have on their children. Further, this study poses important implications for family therapy or social workers, while raising questions for future research.Show less
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...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
This study (N = 153) investigated the relationship between academic stress, mental health – consisted of anxiety and depression scores – and self-efficacy in university students, and the effect of...Show moreThis study (N = 153) investigated the relationship between academic stress, mental health – consisted of anxiety and depression scores – and self-efficacy in university students, and the effect of perceived parental autonomy support and psychological control on their mental health and self-efficacy. Online survey entries were collected over three weeks. Multiple regression analyses were conducted and also tested for moderating effects. Academic stress was associated with higher anxiety and depression levels. General self-efficacy buffered against elevated anxiety and depression from academic stress. Perceived parental autonomy support was associated with higher self-efficacy, and the association between academic stress and depression was stronger for students reporting high perceived maternal psychological control, but using a post hoc correction both findings became non-significant. Limitations, study conclusions, and further research directions are also discussed.Show less
