Stereotyped Beliefs About Adolescents and Parent and Teen Well-Being: The Role of Parent-Teen Communication

Abstract

Stereotyped beliefs about the teen years may guide individuals’ cognition, behaviors, and well-being. This study explored associations between parents’ generalized views of typical adolescents and parent and teen well-being and examined parent–adolescent communication (PAC) as a potential mechanism in that association. One-hundred twenty parent–teen dyads (adolescents: 13–15 years) were recruited from a pediatric primary-care practice in the United States. All data were collected via self-report. Parents who viewed typical adolescents more favorably (as friendly and upstanding/prosocial) reported higher well-being. This association was partly mediated by quality of PAC. Positive parental views of adolescents were related to higher adolescent well-being only indirectly via PAC. Similarly, negative parental views of adolescents were associated with parent and adolescent well-being indirectly via PAC. The findings point to PAC as a potential intervening variable that is linked to parents’ views of adolescents and parent and adolescent well-being. The current findings merit replication and further investigation using larger representative samples.