Longitudinal associations between parenting practices and children’s later decision-making competence

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Developmental research has suggested that certain parenting practices impact the development of children’s later risk behaviors. However, little evidence exists regarding how parenting may impact a child’s actual decision-making skills later in life. This study examined the degree to which earlier child-reports of parenting practices (assessed at age 10–12 and 12–14), specifically monitoring/involvement, firm/lax control, and psychological control, predicted decision-making competence (DMC), a measure of decision-making skills, at age 19. We conducted these analyses on a large, diverse sample of children (N = 775; 227 Female, 21.8% African-American); approximately half had at least one parent with a positive Substance Use Disorder (SUD) diagnosis. Analyses revealed that children reporting greater levels of psychological control demonstrated lower DMC performance at age 19, holding other parenting variables, level of neighborhood disadvantage, and parental SUD status constant. We relate these results to the broader effects of psychological control on decision-making and self-regulatory capabilities.