A moment of autonomy support brightens adolescents' mood: Autonomy support, psychological control and adolescent affect in everyday life

Abstract

AbstractThis experience sampling study examined whether autonomy‐supportive and psychologically controlling interactions with parents are intertwined with adolescents' momentary affect. For 7 days (in 2020), 143 adolescents (Mage = 15.82; SDage = 1.75; 64% girls; 95% European, 1% African, 3% unknown) reported 5 or 6 times a day how they felt and how interactions with parents were experienced. Preregistered dynamic structural equation models on 1439 (including 532 adjacent) parent–adolescent interactions revealed significant within‐family associations: Adolescents experienced more positive affect during and following autonomy‐supportive interactions, and vice versa. Adolescents felt more negative affect during and 3 h before psychologically controlling interactions. Between‐family associations showed significant linkages between parenting and affect. These findings show that a moment of autonomy support can alter adolescents' everyday well‐being.