Patterns of indulgent parenting and adolescents' psychological development

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveIn this study, researchers aimed to extend the current literature by examining the patterns of indulgent parenting of both mothers and fathers and their associations with adolescents' basic psychological needs satisfaction, self‐control, and self‐efficacy.BackgroundIndulgent parenting could be harmful for the development of psychological needs satisfaction and cognitive abilities when adolescents seek autonomy and gain emotional regulatory skills. Yet research is limited on investigating the patterns of indulgent parenting and their relationships to adolescents' psychological development.MethodThe sample consisted of 268 adolescents in Grades 9 to 11 from several high schools in a southeastern region of the United States. Participants took an online survey about their perceptions of parental indulgent parenting, their psychological development, and demographic information.ResultsResults from multivariate mixture modeling suggested four distinct classes of perceived maternal and paternal indulgence. Further, these classes demonstrated differential associations with adolescents' basic psychological needs satisfaction, self‐control, and self‐efficacy.ConclusionThe findings revealed different patterns of perceived indulgent parenting practices. Further, these findings also highlighted the negative role of perceived behavioral indulgence on adolescents' psychological development.ImplicationsImplications for interventions targeted at parenting and adolescent development were noted.