Links between shared and unique perspectives of parental psychological control and adolescent emotional problems: A dyadic daily diary study

Abstract

Using month‐long daily diary data collected between 2019 and 2020 among 99 dyads of Canadian parents (58.6% White, Mage = 43.5, 69.7% female) and adolescents (51.5% White, Mage = 14.6, 53.5% female) from middle to high socioeconomic status families, this study investigated parents' and adolescents' daily shared and unique perceptions of parental psychological control and adolescent emotional problems at within‐ and between‐family level, and examined their cross‐day associations. Multilevel multi‐trait multi‐method confirmatory factor analysis revealed both convergence and divergence across parent–adolescent perceptions at the within level, but no convergence at the between level. Dynamic structural equation modeling revealed cross‐day associations across different perspectives of parenting and adolescent behaviors. Findings contribute novel knowledge to understanding parent–child daily interactions with a multi‐informant approach.

A moment of autonomy support brightens adolescents' mood: Autonomy support, psychological control and adolescent affect in everyday life

“…Even though we disentangled the direction of effects by employing multiple assessments, we cannot draw causal conclusions and could not, with the current design, estimate whether actual parenting behavior or just the adolescent perception of it changed across time. Future research could employ multi‐informant reports and observer ratings to shed further light on this issue, especially because previous research has shown parents' and adolescents' unique and shared perspectives on psychological control to differentially relate to adolescents' emotional functioning at the within‐family level (Xu & Zheng, 2022).…”

“…Similarly, questionnaire‐based studies have demonstrated parenting to fluctuate significantly at multiple time scales (e.g., Boele et al, 2022). Focusing on fluctuations across days, previous diary studies show that both parent‐reported (Aunola et al, 2013; Bülow, Neubauer, et al, 2022; Mabbe et al, 2018; Neubauer et al, 2021; Xu & Zheng, 2022) and child‐reported (Bülow, Neubauer, et al, 2022; Van der Kaap‐Deeder et al, 2017; Xu & Zheng, 2022) autonomy support and psychological control fluctuate from day to day. Moreover, at the daily level, such fluctuations in parenting wax and wane together with child functioning like affect (Bülow, Neubauer, et al, 2022; Van der Kaap‐Deeder et al, 2017).…”

Callous-Unemotional Traits in Adolescents' Daily Life: Associations with Affect and Emotional and Conduct Problems

“…Adolescents living in a western Canadian province were recruited between April 2019 and October 2020 to participate in an online study examining their psychological and behavioral adjustment (see Xu & Zheng, 2022 ). A total of 99 participants (12–17 years old, M = 14.60, SD = 1.76, 55.8% female, 51.5% white, 23.2% Asian, 8.1% multiracial, 4.0% Hispanic/Latinx, 2.0% Black, 6.1% Other) completed a baseline survey and at least one day of the 30-day daily diary surveys (2,108 total observations, M = 21.72 days, Range = 1–30, SD = 7.80).…”

A Moment of Autonomy Support Brightens Adolescents’ Mood: Autonomy Support, Psychological Control and Adolescent Affect in Everyday Life

“…Similarly, questionnaire-based studies have demonstrated parenting to fluctuate significantly at multiple time scales (e.g., Boele et al, 2022). Focusing on fluctuations across days, previous diary studies show that both parent-reported (Aunola et al, 2013;Bülow, Neubauer, et al, 2022;Mabbe et al, 2018;Neubauer et al, 2021;Xu & Zheng, 2022) and child-reported (Bülow, Neubauer, et al, 2022;Van der Kaap-Deeder et al, 2017;Xu & Zheng, 2022) autonomy support and psychological control fluctuate from day to day. Moreover, at the daily level, such fluctuations in parenting wax and wane together with child functioning like affect (Bülow, Neubauer, et al, 2022;Van der Kaap-Deeder et al, 2017).…”

“…Even though we disentangled the direction of effects by employing multiple assessments, we cannot draw causal conclusions and could not, with the current design, estimate whether actual parenting behavior or just the adolescent perception of it changed across time. Future research could employ multi-informant reports and observer ratings to shed further light on this issue, especially because previous research has shown parents' and adolescents' unique and shared perspectives on psychological control to differentially relate to adolescents' emotional functioning at the within-family level (Xu & Zheng, 2022).…”