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Panel information
Panel 14. Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

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Adolescents and parents may have discrepant perceptions of parenting behaviors (De Los Reyes, 2023). The Operations Triad Model proposes interpreting divergent reports based on assessed behaviors, allowing for examination of impact on adolescent mental health (De Los Reyes & Ohannessian, 2016). Previous research has typically examined discrepant views of a single parenting behavior or family characteristic and only concurrently. Etiologically, parenting behaviors contribute to development of internalizing symptoms over time (Gorostiaga et al., 2019) and two parenting behaviors are of interest in the current study: overprotection and care. Perceived overprotective parenting behaviors are related to concurrent internalizing symptoms (Arslan et al., 2023). Parental care is a protective factor against development of internalizing symptoms (Rothenberg et al., 2020). Aspects of parenting may differentially relate to internalizing symptoms (Luebbe & Bell, 2014), where high control predicts greater depressive and anxiety symptoms, and less warmth predicts greater depressive symptoms. The purpose of the current study was to examine adolescent-mother discrepancies of maternal overprotection and care on anxiety and depressive symptoms. We hypothesized a curvilinear relation between adolescent-mother discrepant perceptions of overprotection and internalizing symptoms, wherein greater child-report compared to mother-report will be most strongly associated with higher internalizing symptoms over time (H1), a curvilinear relation between discrepant perceptions of care and internalizing symptoms, wherein lower child report compared to mother report will be most strongly associated with higher internalizing symptoms over time (H2), and that discrepant perceptions of overprotection will have greater impact on internalizing symptoms than discrepant perceptions of care over time (H3).

Adolescents (N=107, Mage=12.4±1.0, 82.2% White) and their mothers participated in a longitudinal study beginning in 2019. All participants reported overprotection and care via the Parent Behavior Inventory (PBI; Parker et al., 1979) at Time 1 (T1). Adolescents reported anxiety and depressive symptoms via the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS; Chorpita et al., 2000) at T1 and six months later at Time 2 (T2; N=91).

Mother- and child-reported parenting subscale discrepancies were created by calculating standardized values for each report and subtracting the child score from the mother score. Higher child report compared to mother report on overprotection predicted depressive (b= 0.068, t= 3.561, p<.001) and anxiety (b= 0.063, t= 2.250, p=.027) symptoms. The same discrepancy on care predicted depressive (b= 0.002, t= 3.136, p=.002) but not anxiety (b= 0.001, t= 0.888, p=.377) symptoms. Neither discrepancy between overprotection nor care predicted change in depressive or anxiety symptoms over time.

Depressive and anxiety symptoms are highly correlated in this sample (r=.59, p<.001), but, as hypothesized, are somewhat differentially predicted by discrepancy in overprotection and care. The perception of parenting behaviors and potential resultant discrepancy is important for adolescent internalizing symptoms. The experience of perceiving a higher level of overprotective behaviors than does the mother may lead adolescents to feel frustrated or helpless, and create less opportunity to manage their environment. Contrary to hypotheses, parenting behaviors did not influence internalizing symptoms over time.

Author information

Author	Role
Noelle C. Marousis, Miami University	Presenting author
Joseph W. Fredrick, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center	Non-presenting author
Aaron M. Luebbe, Miami University	Non-presenting author

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