Parental Autonomy Support Research Articles

The effects of social support and parental autonomy support on the mental well-being of university students: the mediating role of a parent–child relationship

The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the complex response techniques employed to halt its spread, are both detrimental to mental and emotional well-being. Students’ lives have been damaged by social alienation and self-isolation. These effects must be detected, analyzed, and dealt with to make sure the well-being of individuals, specifically students. This research examines the impact of parent–child relationships, parental autonomy support, and social support on enhancing students’ mental well-being using data collected from post-COVID-19. The Potential participants were students from several universities in Pakistan. For this reason, we chose Pakistan’s Punjab province, with 8 prominent institutions, as the primary focus for data collection. A questionnaire was created to gather information from 355 students. For descriptive statistics, SPSS was used, while AMOS structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. The findings revealed that social support on mental well-being (standardized β = 0.43, t = 7.57, p < 0.01) and parental autonomy support was significant and positively related to mental well-being (standardized β = 0.31, t = 5.016, p < 0.01), and predicted parent–child relationships. Furthermore, the parent–child relationship strongly mediated the association between social support, parental autonomy support, and students’ mental well-being. This research proposes that good social support and parental autonomy support improve parent–children relationships and contribute to students’ mental well-being.

Academic motivation in adolescents: the role of parental autonomy support, psychological needs satisfaction and self-control.

Various perspectives on the existence and degree of motivation, which is a crucial factor influencing human behavior, have been studied for many years. Especially in adolescence, a phase marked by rapid change, motivation plays a crucial role in supporting young people to achieve their goals, fulfill their responsibilities, and experience healthy development. The present study aims to investigate the structural relationships among perceived parental autonomy support, satisfaction of psychological needs, self-control, and academic motivation. The study was conducted with a total of 427 high school students, including 230 females and 197 males, aged between 14 and 19 (M = 15.82; SD = 1.02). Participants completed self-report measures of academic motivation, parental autonomy support, psychological needs satisfaction, and self-control. Structural equation modeling was performed to explore complex relationships between variables of interest. The study revealed that psychological needs satisfaction increased as parental autonomy support increased, and self-control also increased with the satisfaction of psychological needs. It was also found that satisfaction of psychological needs was positively related to both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Additionally, self-control was associated with increased intrinsic motivation and decreased amotivation. In addition, it was found that parental autonomy support has an indirect relationship with academic motivation through the satisfaction of psychological needs and self-control. It is believed that these connections will lead to a deeper understanding of the significant processes in adolescence and serve as a foundation for developing and implementing psycho-educational interventions related to these variables.

Associations between parental autonomy support and depressive symptoms among Chinese college students: the chain-mediating effects of mindfulness and self-esteem.

Despite extensive research on contextual factors will relieve college students' depressive symptoms, significant gaps remain in understanding the underlying mechanisms of this relationship, particularly through individual strength factors such as mindfulness and self-esteem. Based on self-determination theory, we explore the association between parental autonomy support and depressive symptoms among Chinese college students and whether mindfulness and self-esteem serve as mediators. A total of 1,182 Chinese college students aged 16 to 27 years (Mage = 20.33, SD = 1.63; female = 55.7%) participated in this research. Questionnaires pertaining to parental autonomy support, mindfulness, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms were administered. The results revealed that depressive symptoms were negatively correlated with both paternal and maternal autonomy support, with mindfulness and self-esteem acting as chain-mediators. Specifically, mindfulness and self-esteem were positively impacted by parental autonomy support, whereas depressive symptoms were negatively impacted by mindfulness and self-esteem. Furthermore, paternal and maternal autonomy support significantly impacted depressive symptoms via both direct and indirect pathways. Indirect effects included three paths: mediation through mindfulness, mediation through self-esteem, and mediation through the mindfulness and self-esteem chain. The study highlights the fundamental mechanisms that account for the association between Chinese college students' parental autonomy support and depressive symptoms, these insights can be used to prevent and manage mental health problems among Chinese college students. For example, parents' autonomy support can directly reduce depressive symptoms, but we can also indirectly promote college students' mental health by emphasizing the mediation role of students' mindfulness and self-esteem.

부모의 자율성 지지가 대학생의 심리적 행복감에 미치는 영향: 긍정심리자본의 매개효과 검증

This study aims to validate the role of positive psychological capital in the structural relationship between parental autonomy support and college students’ psychological happiness based on self-determination theory. The study also aims to explore practical interventions to promote psychological happiness among college students based on empirical evidence. The research method was to distribute questionnaires to college students in Busan Metropolitan City and Gyeongsangnam-do Province from September 2023 to November 2023, and statistically analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0 programs based on 289 data without missing data. The findings were as follows First, higher levels of parental autonomy support were associated with higher levels of psychological well-being. Second, higher levels of parental autonomy support were associated with higher levels of positive psychological capital. Third, higher levels of positive psychological capital were associated with higher levels of psychological happiness. Fourth, indirectly, positive psychological capital was found to have a partial mediating effect on the relationship between parental autonomy support and psychological happiness. These findings have implications for providing an empirical basis for enhancing self-determination and promoting psychological happiness in college students, who are pre-socialized adults. Therefore, it can be applied directly to parent education programs that enable parents to promote their positive psychological capital and psychological well-being through supporting college students’ autonomy, and indirectly to family counseling and family therapy to promote family members’ self-determination.

Screening parent-adolescent relationships, screen behaviors, tridimensional acculturation, and health among Black immigrant and refugee adolescents during dual pandemics.

This brief report assesses parent-adolescent relationships, screen behaviors, and tridimensional acculturation as risk and promotive or protective factors for health among Black U.S. immigrant or refugee adolescents during the dual COVID-19 and racism or Whiteness pandemics. Eighty-nine immigrant- or refugee-origin adolescents completed online surveys (72% Somali American, 28% Jamaican American; 45% female; 15% foreign-born; M = 14.11 years). Regression analyses revealed that parental autonomy support, parental restrictive media mediation, and adolescent heritage culture identification were promotive of better screen media use behaviors. Only adolescent media literacy self-efficacy was related to higher screen time. Importantly, screen self-regulation was a better predictor of general health than screen time. Results highlight many parenting strengths in Black immigrant or refugee families and underscore the resilience-promoting power of parent-adolescent relationships. Health implications are discussed to provide guidance for future prevention efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Understanding the relations between parental conditional regard, teacher autonomy support, and adolescent well‐being: A self‐determination theory perspective

AbstractBased on the self‐determination theory, many studies have attempted to uncover the contextual features that satisfy adolescents' basic psychological needs. Most of these, however, have focused on one aspect of the social context, either the school or the family environment, and focused on either the issue of need frustration or need satisfaction and their implications on well‐being. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate whether adolescents' perceptions of parental conditional regard (both positive and negative regards) and teacher autonomy support were associated with need frustration and need satisfaction, which in turn, would be related to adolescents' well‐being (both subjective stress and life satisfaction). To test our hypotheses, we recruited 340 Turkish adolescents (Mage = 16.88 years, SD = 0.86). Results of structural equation modeling showed that parental conditional negative regard was positively related to need frustration, which in turn, was associated positively with adolescents' subjective stress, and negatively with life satisfaction. However, parental conditional positive regard was related to neither need satisfaction nor need frustration. Moreover, teacher autonomy support was positively related to need satisfaction, which in turn, was positively associated with life satisfaction. The results indicate that future research should consider both parent‐ and teacher‐related contexts together in relation to adolescents' basic needs and their well‐being.

Distinct Roles of Parental Autonomy Support and Psychological Control in Chinese Elementary School Students’ Intelligence Mindsets and Academic Outcomes

Distinct Roles of Parental Autonomy Support and Psychological Control in Chinese Elementary School Students’ Intelligence Mindsets and Academic Outcomes

부모의 자율성 지지가 청소년의 진로성숙도에 미치는 영향에 대한 청소년의 자율성, 유능성, 관계성의 다중매개효과

This study aimed at identifying the multiple mediating effects of autonomy, competence and relatedness in the relationship between parental autonomy support and career maturity of adolescents. For this, We used data were collected from 1,020 students for 7 middle schools in Seoul and the Gyeonggi areas. We were analyzed by using structural equation models(SEM). As a result of the analysis, individual mediating effect of autonomy, competence and relatedness were shown to be statistically significant in the impact of parent’s autonomy on adolescent’s career maturity. It became evident that the fulfillment of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in adolescents is a significant factor in increasing their career maturity. Based on these results, these authors suggested that desirable parenting styles in the family to enhance adolescents’ career maturity, which is one of the important developmental tasks. Also, we discussed that intervention to improve career maturity through satisfaction the basic psychological needs of adolescents.

Parenting, Coparenting, and Adolescents’ Sense of Autonomy and Belonging After Divorce

Although there is ample evidence on the importance of experiencing autonomy and belonging for positive adolescent development and the supporting role of parents in this regard, most knowledge stems from intact families. As many youth grow up with divorced parents, this study tested longitudinal links between warm and autonomy supportive parenting and coparental cooperation and conflict on the one hand, and adolescents’ post-divorce autonomy and belonging on the other. Data consisted of three-wave self-report data of 191 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 14.36, 61.3% girls) and 227 divorced parents (Mage = 46.08, 74% mothers). Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models showed stable between-family differences, with autonomy relating positively to coparenting and parental autonomy support, and belongingness associating positively solely with parenting. No significant effects were found within families, meaning that changes in (co)parental behaviors did not predict adolescents’ experiences of autonomy and belonging or vice versa.

The effect of parental burnout on psychological adjustment among Chinese children with developmental disabilities: the roles of parental autonomy support and psychological control

Objectives Children with developmental disabilities (DD) suffer from adverse psychological adjustment due to parental burnout. The current study aimed to examine how parental burnout affected psychological adjustment in children with DD, and the roles of parental psychological control and autonomy support as mediators. Methods In the current study, 332 Chinese parents of children with DD were investigated using the Chinese versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Parental Autonomy Support Scale, Psychological Control Questionnaire, Parent Self-Report, and Parental Burnout Assessment. The data analysis approaches included correlation and mediation effect analyses. Results The results indicated that parental burnout was negatively correlated with prosocial behavior and positively correlated with emotional/behavioral problems. Moreover, the mediation analysis showed that the effect of parental burnout on prosocial behavior was mediated by both parental autonomy support and psychological control, whereas the effect on emotional/behavioral problems was mediated by psychological control. Conclusions These findings provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between parental burnout, parental psychological control, autonomy support, and psychological adjustment in children with DD, and provide theoretical guidance and empirical evidence for strategies to improve psychological adjustment in children with DD.

The Protective Roles of Self-Compassion and Parental Autonomy Support Against Depressive Symptoms in Peer-Victimized Chinese Adolescent Girls: A Longitudinal Study.

Peer victimization (PV) is a common and serious problem in school contexts, which hinders adolescents' emotional development and social adaptation. The present study aimed to test the longitudinal relationship between PV and the increase of depressive symptoms (DSs) among Chinese mid-late adolescents using a two-wave longitudinal design and examine the buffering effects of self-compassion (SC) and parental autonomy support (PAS) on this relationship. A relatively large sample of Chinese high school students (N = 722, 52.1% boys; age at Time 2 = 16.23 years old, SD = 0.79) were surveyed annually at two time points. The results showed that PV at Time 1 positively predicted DSs at Time 2 after controlling for the DSs at Time 1. In addition, SC and PAS moderated the longitudinal relationship between PV and the development of DSs, while such moderating effects only existed in girls but not in boys. Specifically, the positive relationship between PV and DSs was non-significant among girls with higher levels of SC or PAS. Our findings highlighted that SC and PAS might be important protective factors buffering against DSs for victimized girls.

Parental autonomy support and parental psychological control perceptions: a study with Spanish school-aged children

ABSTRACT Objective The present study examined the antecedents and consequences of perceived parental autonomy support and psychological control. More specifically, we had three aims: a) to investigate the associations between parents’ expectations and beliefs about parenting and perceived parental autonomy support and psychological control; b) to analyse the relationships between the perceived parenting strategies (autonomy support and psychological control) and children’s outcomes: prosocial competence, emotional stability, and verbal and physical aggression and c) to test differences based on parents’ and children’s gender. Method The participants comprised 2,396 parents from Spain (1,164 fathers and 1,232 mothers) with diverse levels of qualification, professional and civil status and 1,325 children (637 boys and 685 girls) aged between 7 and 13 years old. Results Perceive parental autonomy support was positively correlated with children’s prosocial behaviour and competence: being more likely to engage in behaviours to achieve other people’s improvement or well – being. In contrast, perceived parental psychological control was positively correlated with emotional instability, and physical and emotional aggression, that is children will be more likely to develop emotional adjustment problems. Besides, we found a positive association between some negative parenting beliefs and perceived parental psychological control, and we found positive association between some positive parenting beliefs and perceived parental autonomy support. Women scoring significantly higher than men in all associations between parenting beliefs and perceived parenting autonomy support and psychological control. No relationship was found between parental separation anxiety and perceived parental autonomy support or control. Conclusions The results confirmed the importance of the role of parenting practices defined by SDT in children’s development.

Who benefits from autonomy-supportive parenting? Considering individual difference in adolescent emotional reactivity

Who benefits from autonomy-supportive parenting? Considering individual difference in adolescent emotional reactivity

또래 및 교사와의 관계 예측요인으로서 팬덤활동, 스마트폰 의존, 부모양육태도

Objectives This study examined differences in fandom activities, smartphone dependency, perceived parenting styles(autonomy support and structure provision), and peer and teacher relationships between first-year middle school students in 2018 (pre-COVID-19) and those in 2021 (the second year of the pandemic). This study also examined the effects of fandom activities, smartphone dependency, and perceived parenting styles on peer and teacher relationships, the indicators of school adjustment, among first-year middle school students in 2018 and those in 2021.&#x0D; Methods Data from the first year of the 7th-grade panel (N=2,590) and the fourth year of the 4th-grade panel (N=2,275) of the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey of the Korea Youth Policy Institute were used, and independent sample t-tests and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted.&#x0D; Results First, compared to first-year middle school students in 2018, those in 2021 exhibited significantly lower levels of fandom activities, parental autonomy support, parental structure provision, and peer relationships, along with higher smartphone dependence. Students’ relationships with teachers did not differ between the two periods. Second, autonomy support, structure provision, and fandom activities positively predicted peer relationships among first-year middle school students in both 2018 and 2021. Conversely, smartphone dependence had a negative effect on peer relationships in both years. Notably, the relative influence of structure provision on peer relationships was greater in 2021 compared to 2018. Third, autonomy support and structure provision positively predicted the relationship with teachers among students in both 2018 and 2021, while smartphone dependency had a negative effect in both periods. Fandom activities had a significant but small positive effect on students’ relationships with teachers only in 2018.&#x0D; Conclusions Implications are presented to support students transitioning to middle school in building positive relationships with peers and teachers in a rapidly changing environment.&#x0D;

Impact of Parental Autonomy Support on Adolescent Life Satisfaction Through Creative Personality: Moderated Mediating Effect of Parental Structure Provision

Objectives: This study seeks to investigate the mediating effect of adolescent creative personality in the relationship between parental autonomy support and adolescent life satisfaction. Additionally, the study explores the moderated mediation effect of parental structure provision in the relationship between parental autonomy support, adolescent creative personality, and life satisfaction.Methods: A total of 2,590 first-year middle school students surveyed in 2018 from the “Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018; KCYPS,” produced by the National Youth Policy Institute, were targeted. Adolescents responded to questions about parental autonomy support, parental structure provision, creative personality, and life satisfaction. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and PROCESS macro version 4.2 (Hayes, 2022); Model 4 was employed to analyze the mediating effect of adolescent creative personality and model 1 and 7 for the moderated mediating effect of parental structure provision.Results: This study derived the following key findings. First, a significant mediating effect of adolescent creative personality was observed in the relationship between parental autonomy support and adolescent life satisfaction. Parental autonomy support had a direct positive impact on adolescents’ life satisfaction. Additionally, as the level of parental autonomy support increased, adolescent creative personality also increased, which led to higher life satisfaction. Second, a moderated mediating effect of parental structure provision was observed for the impact of parental autonomy support on adolescent life satisfaction through adolescent creative personality.Conclusion: The results can be utilized as foundational information for parental education, and educational settings, thereby aiming to promote adolescents’ creativity and, subsequently, a satisfying life.

The Relationship between Parenting Behaviors and Adolescent Well-Being Varies with the Consistency of Parent-Adolescent Cultural Orientation.

To evaluate the limitations of the traditional parenting model in the cultural transition period, this study investigated the relationship between parenting behaviors and adolescents' well-being, in which the moderating role of consistency in parent-adolescent cultural orientation was also investigated. Six hundred forty-four parent-adolescent dyads completed self-report surveys. Parents completed the cultural orientation questionnaire (parental version), and adolescents completed the cultural orientation questionnaire (adolescent version), the adolescent-perceived parenting behavior scale, the adolescent basic psychological needs scale, and the adolescent well-being questionnaire. The findings were as follows: (1) Adolescent-perceived parental autonomy support positively predicted the satisfaction of adolescents' basic psychological needs, thereby enhancing adolescents' well-being levels. Conversely, adolescent-perceived parental control significantly predicted the frustration of adolescents' basic psychological needs, thereby reducing their well-being levels. (2) When both parents and adolescents share a collectivistic cultural orientation, high parental control significantly frustrated adolescents' basic psychological needs, but it did not negatively affect their well-being. However, when parents are collectivists but adolescents are individualists, high parental control would significantly induce the frustration of basic psychological needs, thus further impairing adolescents' well-being. The results revealed that differences in cultural orientations between generations during cultural transition periods moderate the effects of parenting behaviors.

Homework time management: Do teacher and parent autonomy support matter?

Homework time management: Do teacher and parent autonomy support matter?

Digital location tracking in the parent/caregiver-college student dyad.

As college students navigate new developmental milestones, many families rely on digital technology to stay connected and aid in the transition to adulthood. Digital location tracking apps allow for parental monitoring in new ways that may have implications for youth development. Although recent research has begun to examine prevalence and motivations for digital location tracking in adolescence, we know little about how and why families continue to track into the transition to college, and how this may relate to perceptions of helicopter and autonomy supportive parenting. In a cross-sectional study of 706 community college and 4-year university students in the Southeastern United States, we describe prevalence and sociodemographic differences in parent/caregiver digital location tracking of their college student children, and how this may be associated with perceptions of helicopter parenting and parent/caregiver autonomy support. Findings suggest that digital location tracking is a fairly common practice among college students, with nearly half of the sample endorsing currently or previously being digitally location tracked by their parent/caregiver. Younger, White, and higher socioeconomic status students were more likely to be tracked. Those students who were currently being digitally location tracked tended to perceive their primary parent/caregiver as engaging in more helicopter parenting and as less supportive of their autonomy. This brief report provides preliminary insight into parent/caregiver digital location tracking of their college student children. It is our hope that future research will further examine how digital location tracking may be helping or hindering attainment of developmental milestones in the digital age.

Parental Homework Involvement and Students' Achievement: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis.

Applying a three-level meta-analysis, the goal of our investigation was to examine the relationship between parental homework involvement and students’ achievement, and to investigate whether certain study features could have resulted in the inconsistent results relating to this relationship from prior studies. We identified a total of 28 studies (32 independent samples) with 252 effect sizes for a total of 378222 participants. Our meta-analysis revealed an overall weak negative relationship between parental homework involvement and students’ achievement ( r = −0.064, p < 0.001). The overall relationship was moderated by the dimension of parental homework involvement. Specifically, students’ achievement was positively related to autonomy support, but largely unrelated to content support, parental control, frequency, and mixed. Additionally, the overall relationship was moderated by achievement measure, grade level, and parent gender. Given that parental autonomy support was the only dimension that was positively related to students’ achievement, it would be important to conduct qualitative research that provides longitudinal descriptions of parent-child interactions relating to homework tasks as children make their transition from elementary to middle and high school.

Prenatal buds of conditional regard and autonomy support: Associations with postnatal parenting and child adjustment.

Toddlerhood is a period where issues of autonomy and control in parent-child relationships become particularly intense. In response to these challenges, some parents adopt controlling practices, whereas others are more autonomy supportive. However, research has yet to examine prenatal orientations that foreshadow specific controlling or autonomy-supportive parental practices in toddlerhood and children's socioemotional functioning. In particular, literature on early childhood socialization lacks sufficient evidence on the effects of the controversial controlling practice of parental conditional positive regard. To increase our knowledge on these issues, we examined reports provided by Israeli Jewish mothers during their first pregnancy (N = 294), at 18-month postpartum (N = 226), and when the child was 42 months old (N = 134). To control for child temperament, both parents reported 8-month postpartum (N = 235) on infant temperament dispositions, which may act as precursors of later socioemotional functioning. Structural equations modeling revealed that a general prenatal maternal orientation to use conditional regard as a socialization practice predicted mothers' use of the specific practices of conditional positive and negative regard with toddlers, which then predicted internalizing problems when children reached the age of 42 months. Additionally, a general prenatal orientation toward autonomy-supportive parenting predicted mothers' perspective taking with toddlers, which then predicted children's prosocial behavior at 42 months. The effects emerged also after controlling for infants' temperamental dispositions toward negative emotionality and positive affect. Findings underlie the potential role of prenatal orientations toward conditional regard and autonomy support that, when later transform into specific early parenting practices, may serve as early markers of child socioemotional adjustment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).