Adolescent Perceptions of Maternal and Paternal Autonomy Granting and Psychological Control in Predicting Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

Employing existing adolescent-report measures of perceptions of parenting corresponding to autonomy granting as the promotion of independence (PI), the promotion of volitional functioning (PVF), and psychological control, we observed, amongst 97 adolescents, aged 13–17 years, that perceptions of maternal and paternal PVF were significantly negatively associated with both anxiety and depression, whereas PI was significantly associated with only anxiety (and not depression) for only perceptions of maternal (and not paternal) parenting. Perceptions of both maternal and paternal PVF accounted for unique variance in anxiety beyond that accounted for by PI; only perceptions of maternal (not paternal) PVF accounted for unique variance in depression. Perceptions of maternal and paternal controlling parenting accounted for unique variance in depression but not anxiety, suggesting that adolescent anxiety might be more strongly related to perceived parental PVF and adolescent depression to perceived psychological control. Finally, parenting correlates of PVF, PI, and psychological control differed for mothers and fathers of adolescents.

Keywords:

• adolescence
• autonomy granting psychological control
• perceptions of parenting

Ethical approval

The authors have complied with the American Psychological Association’s ethical standards in the treatment of the sample described here.

Consent form

Written informed content was obtained from each child’s parent or legal guardian before participation in this study commenced. In addition, written assent for participation was obtained from each adolescent.

Disclosure statement

The authors do not have any potential conflicts of interest to disclose with respect to this manuscript.