Over-time Fluctuations in Parenting and Adolescent Adaptation Within Families: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Parenting theories describe that fluctuations in parenting and adolescent adaptation are linked within the same families. Studies on these so-called 'within-family' effects between parenting and adolescent adaptation are summarized in the current systematic review. Through a database and backward citation search, 46 eligible peer-reviewed studies were found, which were published between 2002 and 2018. The studies assessed a variety of parenting (i.e., support, control, negative interaction, time spent together, relationship quality, and differential parenting) and adaptation dimensions (i.e., externalizing and internalizing problems, affect, and interpersonal, academic, and physical functioning). Concerning the design of the studies, typical measurement intervals were either days (k = 10) or 6 months or longer (k = 30). Moreover, only six studies tested (and mostly found) heterogeneity in random slopes, and 20 studies used a moderation approach to explain heterogeneity. Of the concurrent associations, some (but not all) of the few available studies suggested that increases in parental control and support and decreases in negative interaction within a family were associated with decreases in externalizing and internalizing problems, as well as other indices of adolescent maladaptation. However, with respect to time-lagged associations, there is to date hardly any empirical evidence that parenting and adolescent adaptation predict each other within families. Based on the identified theoretical lacunas and empirical limitations, directions are provided for future within-family parenting studies.

Longitudinal Linkages Between Father and Mother Autonomy Support and Adolescent Problem Behaviors: Between-Family Differences and Within-Family Effects

“…These findings illustrate that when between-family differences and within-family effects are in opposite direction, there is a possibility of not finding any effects (or biased effects) when they are blended. There is, however, a lack of studies on parental autonomy support and adolescent problem behaviors that look into both between-family differences and within-family effects (Boele et al 2019).…”

“…As adolescence is generally considered a period in which children demand more autonomy (Smetana et al 2005), micro-longitudinal scales (e.g., daily diaries) may, for example, show more variance in the variables under study. Since nearly all between-and within-family studies with respect to adolescent problem behaviors are examining changes on a macro timescale, future studies may also want to consider micro or meso timescales (Boele et al 2019).…”

Parenting Adolescents in Times of a Pandemic: Changes in Relationship Quality, Autonomy Support, and Parental Control?

“…One the one hand, it may have been that the more immediate processes of disequilibrium (e.g., conflicts over novel rules) had already been resolved at the first post lockdown assessment. Assessing short-term fluctuations within families and short-term mechanisms that cause change calls for a different type of study design, such as daily diaries or Experience Sampling Methods (Boele et al, 2019). On the other hand, knowledge regarding longer-term impact is urgently needed, especially for higher risk populations of which few families participated in this study.…”

The Link between Parental Support and Adolescent Negative Mood in Daily Life: between-Person Heterogeneity in within-Person Processes

“…The results of existing studies with longer time intervals may therefore not provide us with information about how daily fluctuations of support and negative mood influence each other on a smaller time scale (Keijsers and Van Roekel 2018 ). Investigating these underlying social processes at a more micro-level (i.e., hours, days) within persons may yield relevant insights into the building blocks of longer term mental health development (Boele et al 2019 ). Therefore, by using ecological momentary assessments (EMA; Stone and Shiffman 1994 ) the current study aimed to examine the more proximal associations between experienced parental support and adolescent daily negative mood within a person in the daily flow of life and assess individual differences.…”

“…Many studies have been conducted on parental support and internalizing problems (e.g., Pinquart 2017 ) and focused on relative differences between families. Recently, a systematic review of 46 studies found only two studies which investigated the micro processes between perceived parental support and adolescent negative mood at the within-person level (Boele et al 2019 ). However, results of statistical analyses at the group level do not necessarily contain information on how processes operate at the level of the individual (e.g., Hamaker et al 2015 ), and this is also true for parenting studies (Keijsers 2016 ).…”