Autonomy-related Parenting Profiles and their Effects on Adolescents’ Academic and Psychological Development: A Longitudinal Person-oriented Analysis

The important role of parenting is widely acknowledged, but as most studies have understood and examined it as a stable attribute (e.g., parenting style), the stability of and changes in parenting are less well understood. Using longitudinal person-oriented approaches (i.e., latent profile analyses and latent transition analyses), this study aimed to examine the stability of and changes in autonomy-related parenting profiles and their effects on adolescents’ academic and psychological development. Four autonomy-related dimensions (i.e., autonomy support, warmth, psychological control, conditional regard) were chosen to identify parenting profiles on the basis of Self-Determination Theory. Using five-year longitudinal data from 789 German secondary school students (50.06% female, Mage at T1 = 10.82 years, age span = 10–17), four autonomy-related parenting profiles were found: Supportive (~17%), Controlling (~31%), Unsupportive-Uncontrolling (~17%), and Limited Supportive (~35%). The results suggest that the Supportive profile contributes to adolescents’ positive academic and psychological development, whereas the Controlling profile, which thwarts autonomy development, exacerbates the development of psychopathology, and impairs academic achievement. More importantly, the Limited Supportive profile is as maladaptive as the Unsupportive-Uncontrolling profile. Regarding parenting profiles’ stability and changes, the results showed that about half of each profile stayed in the same group. Overall, it could be observed that parents became more supportive and less controlling over time. However, the findings also indicate that parenting profiles are less stable than expected and can still change during early-to-mid adolescence.

The Effects of Parenting Style on Emerging Adulthood Emotional Self-Regulation and Identity Development

The purpose of this research is to examine how parenting profiles, identity development, and emotional self-regulation may relate to one another in emerging adulthood utilizing a person-centered approach. The data being used for this study was from the Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC), which was collected using a cross-sectional online survey. The data consists of 3,775 students of which 61.9% were White and 69.9% were females ages 18-29. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed for all participants using mother and father psychological control and nurturance to identify the parenting profiles. A four-cluster solution was most parsimonious and consistent after evaluating the agglomeration table and plots. Clusters were finalized using k-means cluster analysis; differences were tested through an analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Games-Howell post hoc testing. Parental Nurturance has high nurturance and low levels of psychological control from both parents. Parental Repression has high levels of psychological control and low levels of nurturance from both parents. Parental Equivocation has high levels of both parental nurturance and psychological control. Maternal Mitigation has high levels of maternal nurturance and paternal psychological control, and low levels of maternal psychological control and paternal nurturance. Parental Nurturance had the highest levels of depth and breadth of exploration, identification with commitment and commitment making, and use of reappraisal. The Maternal Mitigation profile was similar in outcomes. The Parental Equivocation and Parental Repression profiles were significantly lower on identity commitment and reappraisal and significantly higher on ruminative exploration and suppression.

Longitudinal Associations Between Parenting Practices and Youth Sleep Problems

Objective: Sleep problems among youth are highly prevalent and associated with adjustment difficulties. When considering influences on youth's sleep, parenting practices have been previously linked to poor sleep in youth. However, research is lacking on which parenting practices longitudinally predict the development and maintenance of sleep problems in youth. Additionally, sensitive periods for this link are mostly unknown. The current study examined longitudinal relations between constellations of parenting practices and youth sleep health in order to identify profiles of parenting practices that are predictive of sleep problems in youth across different developmental stages. Method: Participants were 292 parents (M = 36.51, SD = 7.3) of children between the ages of 3 and 14 (M = 8.4, SD = 3.6). A person-centered approach was employed to create profiles across positive and negative parenting practices, as well as supportive and unsupportive parental emotion socialization strategies. Parenting profiles were then examined as longitudinal predictors of youth sleep problems. Results: Findings revealed three distinct parenting profiles, which consisted of one optimal profile, a second intermediate profile, and a third maladaptive profile. These parenting profiles were differentially associated with sleep problems in youth, with the optimal profile predicting the lowest levels of sleep problems and the maladaptive profile predicting the highest levels of sleep problems, particularly among peripubertal youth. Conclusion: This study extends previous findings by elucidating distinct constellations of parenting practices that are differentially predictive of youth sleep problems and highlighting parenting as a crucial and longitudinal contributor to youth’s sleep health.