Abstract
Historically, scholars have consistently linked dimensions of parenting (e.g., support, control) to adolescent outcomes (e.g., internalizing and externalizing problems). Many now are working to identify the possible mechanisms that underlie these parenting effects. The present study extended an existing model by hypothesizing and testing adolescent self-esteem as a mediator of the association between perceived parenting (parental support, behavioral control, and psychological control) and youth outcomes (social initiative, depression, and antisocial behavior). Results from structural equation analyses of two, consecutive years of data from adolescents in the southwestern US showed that two aspects of self-esteem (i.e., positive self-esteem and self-derogation) mediated the effects of mothers’ and fathers’ psychological control on adolescent depression and antisocial behavior. The effects of maternal and paternal support and behavioral control were not mediated by adolescent self-esteem. Implications are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achenbach, T. M., & Edelbrock, C. (1987). Manual for the youth self-report and profile. Burlington, VT: Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont.
Arbuckle, J. L. (2006). SPSS Amos (Version 22.0) [Computer Program]. Chicago, IL: SPSS.
Bachman, J. G., Johnston, L. D., & O’Malley, P. M. (1993). Monitoring the future: A continuing study of the lifestyles and values of adolescents 1992. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.
Bamaca, M. Y., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Shin, N., & Alfaro, E. C. (2005). Latino adolescents’ perception of parenting behaviors and self-esteem: Examining the role of neighborhood risk. Family Relations, 54(5), 621–632. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2005.00346.x.
Barber, B. K. (1996). Parental psychological control: Revising a neglected construct. Child Development, 67(6), 3296–3319. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01915.x.
Barber, B. K., Chadwick, B. A., & Oerter, R. (1992). Parental behaviors and adolescent self-esteem in the United States and Germany. Journal of Marriage and Family, 54(1), 128–141.
Barber, B. K., & Erickson, L. D. (2001). Adolescent social initiative: Antecedents in the ecology of social connections. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16(4), 326–354. doi:10.1177/0743558401164003.
Barber, B. K., & Harmon, E. L. (2002). Violating the self: Parental psychological control of children and adolescents. In B. K. Barber (Ed.), Intrusive parenting: How psychological control affects children and adolescents (pp. 15–52). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press.
Barber, B. K., Olsen, J. A., & Shagle, S. C. (1994). Associations between parental psychological and behavioral control and youth internalized and externalized behaviors. Child Development, 65(4), 1120–1136.
Barber, B. K., Stolz, H. E., & Olsen, J. A. (2005). Parental support, psychological control, and behavioral control: Assessing relevance across time, culture, and method. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 70(4), 1–137.
Barber, B. K., & Xia, M. (2013). The centrality of control to parenting and its effects. In R. E. Larzelere, A. S. Morris, & A. W. Harrist (Eds.), New directions for authoritative parenting. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press.
Barber, B. K., Xia, M., Olsen, J. A., McNeely, C., & Bose, K. (2012). Feeling disrespected by parents: Refining the measurement and understanding of psychological control. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 273–287.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.
Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003). Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4(1), 1–44. doi:10.1111/1529-1006.01431.
Baumeister, R. F., Smart, L., & Boden, J. M. (1996). Relation of threatened egotism to violence and aggression: The dark side of high self-esteem. Psychological Review, 103, 5–33.
Bean, R. A., Bush, K. R., McKenry, P. C., & Wilson, S. M. (2003). The impact of parental support, behavioral control, and psychological control on the academic achievement and self-esteem of African American and European American adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 18(5), 523–541. doi:10.1177/0743558403255070.
Behnke, A. O., Plunkett, S. W., Sands, T., & Bámaca-Colbert, M. Y. (2011). Latino adolescents’ perceptions of discrimination, neighborhood risk, and parenting on their own feelings of self-esteem and depression. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 42, 1179–1197. doi:10.1177/0022022110383424.
Brown, B. B., Mounts, N., Lamborn, S. D., & Steinberg, L. (1993). Parenting practices and peer group affiliation in adolescence. Child Development, 64(2), 467–482. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1993.tb02922.x.
Bush, K. R., Peterson, G. W., Cobas, J. A., & Supple, A. J. (2002). Adolescents’ perceptions of parental behaviors as predictors of adolescent self-esteem in mainland China. Sociological Inquiry, 72(4), 503–526. doi:10.1111/1475-682X.00031.
Bush, K. R., Supple, A. J., & Lash, S. B. (2004). Mexican adolescents’ perceptions of parental behaviors and authority as predictors of their self-esteem and sense of familism. Marriage and Family Review, 36(1/2), 35–65.
Coley, R. L., & Coltrane, S. (2007). Commentary: Impact of father involvement on children’s developmental trajectories: New findings panel for the National Fatherhood Forum. Applied Developmental Science, 11(4), 226–228. doi:10.3149/fth.1802.163.
Crouter, A. C., & Head, M. R. (2002). Parental monitoring and knowledge of children. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting: Being and becoming a parent (2nd ed., Vol. 3, pp. 461–483). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Deković, M., & Meeus, W. (1997). Peer relations in adolescence: Effects of parenting and adolescents’ self-concept. Journal of Adolescence, 20, 163–176. doi:10.1006/jado.1996.0074.
Dillman, D. A. (1978). Mail and telephone surveys: The total design method. New York: Wiley.
Donnellan, M. B., Trzesniewski, K. H., Robins, R. W., Moffitt, T. E., & Caspi, A. (2005). Low self-esteem is related to aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency. Psychological Science, 16(4), 328–335. doi:10.1111/j.0956-7976.2005.01535.x.
Driscoll, A. K., Russell, S. T., & Crockett, L. J. (2008). Parenting styles and youth well-being across immigrant generations. Journal of Family Issues, 29(2), 185–209. doi:10.1177/0192513X07307843.
DuBois, D. L., Felner, R. D., Sherman, M. D., & Bull, C. A. (1994). Socioenvironmental experiences, self-esteem, and emotional/behavioral problems in early adolescence. American Journal of Community Psychology, 22(3), 371–397. doi:10.1007/BF02506871.
Finkenauer, C., Engels, R. C. M. E., & Baumeister, R. F. (2005). Parenting behaviour and adolescent behavioural and emotional problems: The role of self-control. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29(1), 58–69. doi:10.1080/01650250444000333.
Frank, G., Plunkett, S. W., & Otten, M. P. (2010). Perceived parenting, self-esteem, and general self-efficacy of Iranian American adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(6), 738–746. doi:10.1007/s10826-010-9363-x.
Garber, J., Robinson, N. S., & Valentiner, D. (1997). The relation between parenting and adolescent depression: Self-worth as a mediator. Journal of Adolescent Research, 12, 12–33. doi:10.1177/0743554897121003.
Hay, I., Ashman, A. F., & van Kraayenoord, C. E. (1998). Educational characteristics of students with high or low self-concept. Psychology in the Schools, 35(4), 391–400. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1520-6807(199810)35:4<391::AID-PITS10>3.0.CO;2-#.
Henry, C. S., Sager, D. W., & Plunkett, S. W. (1996). Adolescents’ perceptions of family system characteristics, parent-adolescent dyadic behaviors, adolescent qualities, and adolescent empathy. Family Relations, 45, 283–292. doi:10.2307/585500.
Hirschi, T. (1969). Causes of delinquency. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Holmbeck, G. (1997). Toward terminological, conceptual, and statistical clarity in the study of mediators and moderators: Examples from the child-clinical and pediatric psychology literatures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65(4), 599–610.
IBM Corp. (2012). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
Kaplan, H. B., & Pokorny, A. D. (1969). Self-derogation and adjustment. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 149(5), 421–434.
Kee, C., Sim, K., Teoh, J., Tian, C. S., & Ng, K. H. (2003). Individual and familial characteristics of youths involved in street corner gangs in Singapore. Journal of Adolescence, 26(4), 401–412. doi:10.1016/S0140-1971(03)00027-7.
Kernis, M. H., Brown, A. C., & Brody, G. H. (2000). Fragile self-esteem in children and its association with perceived patterns of parent-child communication. Journal of Personality, 68, 225–252.
Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2000). What parents know, how they know it, and several forms of adolescent adjustment: Further support for a reinterpretation of monitoring. Developmental Psychology, 36, 677–686. doi:10.1037//0012-1649.36.3.366.
Kovacs, M. (1992). Children’s depression inventory. Niagra Falls, NY: Multi-Health Systems.
Kuperminc, G. P., Blatt, S. J., Shahar, G., Henrich, C., & Leadbeater, B. J. (2004). Cultural equivalence and cultural variance in longitudinal associations of young adolescent self-definition and interpersosnal relatedness to psychological and school adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33(1), 13–30. doi:10.1023/A:1027378129042.
Luthar, S. S. (1995). Social competence in the school setting: Prospective cross-domain associations among inner-city teens. Child Development, 66(2), 416–429. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.ep9505240342.
MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., Hoffman, J. M., West, S. G., & Sheets, V. (2002). A comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects. Psychological Methods, 7(1), 83–104.
MacPhee, A. R., & Andrews, J. J. (2006). Risk factors for depression in early adolescence. Adolescence, 41(163), 435–466.
Orth, U., Robins, R. W., & Roberts, B. W. (2008). Low self-esteem prospectively predicts depression in adolescence and young adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(3), 695–708. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.95.3.695.
Owens, T. J. (1994). Two dimensions of self-esteem: Reciprocal effects of positive self-worth and self-deprecation on adolescent problems. American Sociological Review, 59(3), 391–407.
Parker, J. S., & Benson, M. J. (2004). Parent-adolescent relations and adolescent functioning: Self-esteem, substance abuse, and delinquency. Adolescence, 39, 519–530.
Pflieger, J. C., & Vazsonyi, A. T. (2006). Parenting processes and dating violence: The mediating role of self-esteem in low- and high-SES adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 495–512. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2011.03.031.
Plunkett, S. W., Henry, C. S., Robinson, L. C., Behnke, A., & Falcon, P. C. III. (2007a). Adolescent perceptions of parental behaviors, adolescent self-esteem, and adolescent depressed mood. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 16(6), 760–772. doi:10.1007/s10826-006-9123-0.
Plunkett, S. W., Williams, S., Schock, A., & Sands, T. (2007b). Parenting and adolescent self-esteem in Latino intact families, stepfather families, and single-mother families. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 47(3/4), 1–20. doi:10.1300/J087v47n03_01.
Rollins, B. C., & Thomas, D. L. (1979). Parental support, power, and control techniques in the socialization of children. In W. R. Burr, R. Hill, F. I. Nye, & I. L. Reiss (Eds.), Contemporary theories about the family (Vol. 1, pp. 317–364)., Research based theories New York, NY: Free Press.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Schaefer, E. S. (1965). Children’s reports of parental behavior: An inventory. Child Development, 36, 413–424.
Shagle, S. C., & Barber, B. K. (1995). A social-ecological analysis of adolescent suicidal ideation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 65(1), 114–124. doi:10.1037/h0079591.
Shek, D. T. L. (2002). The relation of parental qualities to psychological well-being, school adjustment, and problem behavior in Chinese adolescents with economic disadvantage. American Journal of Family Therapy, 30(3), 215–230. doi:10.1080/019261802753577548.
Sim, T. N. (2000). Adolescent psychosocial competence: The importance and role of regard for parents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 10(1), 49–64. doi:10.1207/SJRA1001_3.
Slicker, E. K., Patton, M., & Fuller, D. K. (2004). Parenting dimensions and adolescent sexual initiation: Using self-esteem, academic aspiration, and substance use as mediators. Journal of Youth Studies, 7(3), 295–314. doi:10.1080/1367626042000268935.
Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Luyten, P., Duriez, B., & Goossens, L. (2005). Maladaptive perfectionistic self-representations: The mediational link between psychological control and adjustment. Personality and Individual Differences, 38, 487–498. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2004.05.008.
Stattin, H., & Kerr, M. (2000). Parental monitoring: A reinterpretation. Child Development, 71(4), 1072–1085. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00210.
Steinberg, L. (1990). Autonomy, conflict, and harmony in the family relationship. In S. S. Feldman & G. R. Elliot (Eds.), At the threshold: The developing adolescent (pp. 255–276). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Stewart, S. M., Rao, N., Bond, M. H., McBride-Chang, C., Fielding, R., & Kennard, B. D. (1998). Chinese dimensions of parenting: Broadening Western predictors and outcomes. International Journal of Psychology, 33(5), 345–358. doi:10.1080/002075998400231.
Supple, A. J., & Plunkett, S. W. (2011). Dimensionality and validity of the Rosenberg self-esteem scale for use with Latino adolescents. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 33, 39–53. doi:10.1177/0739986310387275.
Supple, A. J., Su, J., Plunkett, S. W., Peterson, G. W., & Bush, K. R. (2012). Factor structure of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44, 748–764. doi:10.1177/0022022112468942.
Wouters, S., Doumen, S., Germeijs, V., Colpin, H., & Verschuren, K. (2013). Contingencies of self-worth in early adolescence: The antecedent role of perceived parenting. Social Development, 22(2), 2420259. doi:10.1111/sode.12010.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hunter, S.B., Barber, B.K. & Stolz, H.E. Extending Knowledge of Parents’ Role in Adolescent Development: The Mediating Effect of Self-esteem. J Child Fam Stud 24, 2474–2484 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0050-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0050-1