Direct and indirect effects of strength-based parenting on adolescents’ school outcomes: Exploring the role of mental toughness

Abstract

IntroductionStrength-based parenting defined as recognizing and cultivating strengths in children is potentially linked to important child and adolescent outcomes. In this study, direct and indirect effects (via mental toughness) of strength-based parenting on adolescents’ school outcomes, particularly, school engagement and burnout were examined. MethodsThe sample consisted of 350 high school students (ages 14–18 years; 49.7% female) using multistage cluster sampling from central school district of city of Aydın, Turkey. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires that assess strength-based parenting, mental toughness, school engagement, and burnout. ResultsResults showed that strength-based parenting is significantly and directly related to higher levels of school engagement, but not to school burnout. Furthermore, indirect effects of strength-based parenting on both school engagement and burnout through the mechanism of mental toughness were statistically significant. A series of multigroup post hoc analyses suggested that the structural model was robust across gender and age. ConclusionsThe present findings suggest that strength-based parenting plays a crucial role on adolescents’ school outcomes and these links are mediated by mental toughness. Implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.