High-quality parenting practices in adolescence lay the inspiration for close parent-child relationships when the youngsters develop into young adults, in line with latest research from Penn State.

The study is certainly one of the primary to look at how changes in parental involvement, parental warmth, and effective discipline during adolescence predict the standard of the relationships between parents and their young adult children, said Greg Fosco, professor of human development and family studies and associate director of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State, who was co-principal investigator on the study.

The study’s findings were published recently in Developmental Psychology. The research team surveyed 1,631 participants in a long-term research study of families in rural and semi-rural Pennsylvania and Iowa who accomplished surveys between sixth and twelfth grades and again at age 22.

Our research showed that parenting can change lots through the teenage years: parents often express less warmth and affection, spend less time with their teens, and develop into more harsh of their discipline. Parents that were able to keep up positive parenting and involvement laid the inspiration for a detailed relationship when their teens became adults.”

Greg Fosco, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State

Staying involved in teens’ lives may look different than after they were younger, and it will probably be difficult to remain close with teens as they seek greater independence and autonomy, Fosco acknowledged. Based on the study’s findings, he suggested these activities:

• Do something together, like playing sports, bike riding, exercising, going for a walk, gaming, cooking, attending events, or going out for a meal or dessert.
• Work on a project together across the house.
• Discuss what is going on on in school.
• Discuss what you must do in the long run.

Further, adolescents who experienced higher levels of parental warmth within the early teen years reported feeling more closeness and heat with moms and dads after they were of their 20s, Fosco said.

“That is an awesome reminder to say the essential things in life, similar to ‘I like you’ or ‘I care about you,’ or physical expressions similar to a hug or a pat on the back,” he said.

The study also found that oldsters who were expert at using effective discipline with their sixth grade children -; and maintained these effective practices over the course of adolescence -; had less conflictual relationships when their children were of their 20s.

“Parents should avoid harsh consequences and yelling at their teens, and work to remain calm and consistent in upholding family rules,” said Shichen Fang, postdoctoral fellow within the Department of Psychology at Concordia University and former postdoctoral fellow on the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center. “Adolescents need to feel respected and treated like adults. It is important to have clear reasons for family rules and consequences.”

When appropriate, it’s helpful to incorporate adolescents in decision-making about family rules, similar to discussions to come to a decision on an inexpensive curfew, Fosco added.

“When parents can include their teens in these decisions, they usually tend to associate with what is set,” Fosco said.

The info for the study is from PROmoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER), and the study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. PROSPER also has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and co-funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Fang is lead writer of the published paper on the findings. Mark Feinberg, research professor of health and human development on the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, served as co-principal investigator for the study.

Source:

Journal reference:

Fang, S., et al. (2022) Multivariate growth trajectories of parenting practices in adolescence predicting young adult relationships with parents. Developmental Psychology. doi.org/10.1037/dev0001443.