Structural relations between sources of parental knowledge, feelings of being overly controlled and risk behaviors in early adolescence

Abstract

Structural relations between sources of parental knowledge, feelings of being overly controlled and risk behaviors in early adolescence. Journal of Family Studieshttps://doi.org/10. 1080/13229400.2017.1367713 Access to the published version may require subscription. N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published paper. Permanent link to this version:http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-37206In this study, we have investigated parental knowledge and its sources, namely adolescent disclosure, parental control, and parental solicitation; and how they relate to adolescents' feelings of being overly controlled, and to three types of adolescent risk behaviors, namely bullying, substance use and delinquent behavior. This was studied in a sample of 1520 Swedish early adolescent boys and girls (M age = 13.0). A structural equation path model showed that adolescent disclosure and parental control were positively associated with parental knowledge, which in turn related to all three risk behaviors. Adolescent disclosure was related to lower levels of risk behaviors, while parental solicitation was linked to higher levels of adolescent engagement in risk behaviors, especially for boys, through feelings of being overly controlled. The findings support the idea of a functional role of open communication, as well as adequate levels of autonomy granting, for managing boys' and girls' risk behavior.

Does one Size Fit All?—Linking Parenting With Adolescent Substance Use and Adolescent Temperament

“…When parents actively seek information from their adolescents, this results in more and not less adolescent engagement in substance use over time. One explanation is that parental soliciting efforts may be perceived as intrusive because they enhance adolescents’ feelings of being overly controlled (Kapetanovic et al., ), which in turn may provoke autonomy frustration (Van Petegem, Soenens, Vansteenkiste, & Beyers, ). Low levels of sociability in the detached and fearless cluster may explain why these adolescents may be sensitive to parents’ questions and queries.…”

“…Some of the most well‐known parent training programs, including the Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10–14, recommend that parents set rules and monitor their adolescents closely to avoid the development of risk behavior (Molgaard & Spoth, ). The central idea is that when they have information about their early‐adolescent children's activities, parents can provide the children with support and guidance and discourage them from engaging in substance use (Kapetanovic, Bohlin, Skoog, & Gerdner, ; Waizenhofer, Buchanan, & Jackson‐Newsom, ). Parents can gain this knowledge through the adolescent voluntarily sharing information (voluntary disclosure) (Kerr, Stattin, & Burk, ) and through their own efforts to gain information by actively soliciting it (Fletcher, Steinberg, & Williams‐Wheeler, ).…”

“…In addition, if adolescents perceive parents’ rules and questions as intrusive, and as undermining their autonomy needs (Kakihara et al., ), they may be less inclined to acknowledge parents’ guidance. In turn, adolescents are then likely to engage in more, and not fewer risk behaviors (Kapetanovic et al., ). Thus, promoting adolescent disclosure as a means for obtaining knowledge and protecting early‐adolescent children seems desirable, whereas active monitoring efforts are not necessarily as helpful.…”

“…Failure to examine adolescent disclosure may result in an overemphasis of the effect of parental monitoring efforts on adolescent behavior. Adolescent disclosure is a stronger predictor of parental knowledge and of adolescent behavioral outcomes than parental monitoring efforts (Kapetanovic et al., ; Keijsers et al., ; Stattin & Kerr, ), and should therefore be included in models. In addition, this will be the first study to investigate the moderating role of adolescent temperament on reciprocal associations between parental knowledge (including adolescent and parent‐driven sources) and adolescent substance use.…”

Cross-Cultural Examination of Links between Parent–Adolescent Communication and Adolescent Psychological Problems in 12 Cultural Groups

“…However, traditional gender roles are often reflected in the interaction between parents and their adolescents, with parents communicating different behavioral expectations for girls and boys (Leaper and Farkas 2015). Indeed, early adolescent girls report higher levels of parent behavior control and solicitation than their male counterparts (Kapetanovic et al 2017). In addition, studies suggest that parents with higher socioeconomic status, often measured by parent educational level, generally are more supportive and have more knowledge of their adolescents' activities than parents with low socioeconomic status (Morawska et al 2009).…”