Abstract

The present longitudinal study examined the relation between initial and changed levels of parenting practices and changes in adjustment from early to middle adolescence. In particular, the associations of parental autonomy granting, behavioural control and warmth to adolescent depression, self-esteem, delinquent behaviours and substance use were investigated. Bi-directionality from early adolescent functioning to changes in parenting was also assessed. Results of a series of path analyses indicated that initial levels of parenting, particularly warmth, were related to early adolescent adjustment; and that initial levels of parental warmth were associated to changes in self-esteem, but not in the other indices of adjustment. Other findings revealed that changes in all three parenting practices were connected to change in the developmental trajectories of adolescents over a four-year period, from approximately age 13 at Time 1 year of the study and age 16 at Time 2. Transactional effects were found for two of the early adolescent variables, depression and substance use; these results revealed that early adolescent adjustment was linked to changes over time in parental behavioural control and warmth. These findings point to the potential significance of adapting parenting practices throughout adolescence to enhance adolescent well-being over time, as well as to the value of contributions from specific early adolescent adjustment variables to changes in parenting practices. Thus, the study demonstrated the importance of assessing initial levels of parenting, changes in parenting, and the contribution of early levels of adolescent adjustment to changes in parenting practices over time.