Latent profiles of parent socialization of coping in emerging adulthood

Abstract

Parent socialization of coping, a unique aspect of parenting that contributes to youth adjustment, has primarily been examined with variable-centered approaches. This study applied latent profile analysis (LPA), a person-centered approach, to identify distinct combinations of parent coping suggestions in two samples of emerging adults (Study 1: N = 179; Study 2: N = 190). LPA revealed five profiles of parent socialization of coping in both studies: Involved, Direct, Balanced, Indirect, and Uninvolved. In both studies, the Direct and Involved profiles demonstrated the most adaptive functioning, whereas the Uninvolved and Indirect profiles demonstrated heightened adjustment problems. This study provides novel evidence that examining variability in the co-occurrence of parent coping suggestions is a fruitful avenue of study in socialization of coping research.