Coercive Parenting and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes: The Moderating Effects of Empathic Concern and Perception of Social Rejection

Spencer De Li, Yiwei Xia, Ruoshan Xiong, Jienan Li and Yiyi Chen
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Spencer De Li: Department of Sociology, University of Macau, Macao 999078, China
Yiwei Xia: School of Law, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China
Ruoshan Xiong: Department of Sociology, University of Macau, Macao 999078, China
Jienan Li: Department of Sociology, University of Macau, Macao 999078, China
Yiyi Chen: Department of Sociology, University of Macau, Macao 999078, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: Previous studies have identified coercive parenting as a prevalent parenting style in Chinese society. They suggested that this style of parenting could promote prosocial behavior and school commitment when combined with close monitoring and proper training, but it could also undermine mental health. This study critically examines these claims. Based on the existing theory and research, it is predicted that the influences of coercive parenting on adolescent development vary according to adolescent personal attributes including empathic concern and perception of social rejection. Through the analysis of two-wave survey data collected from a probability sample of 1085 Chinese adolescents, this study found that adolescents with higher levels of empathic concern and perceived social rejection reported less delinquency and stronger school commitment than their peers with lower levels of such attributes, when coercive parenting was low to moderate. However, under the condition of excessive coercive control, these adolescents demonstrated more delinquency and weaker school commitment. Empathic concern and perception of social rejection, on the other hand, played no or limited role in moderating the relationship between coercive parenting and depression. These results suggest that the influences of coercive parenting are dynamic and are subject to change as they interact with adolescent personal characteristics across different developmental domains.

Keywords: coercive parenting; developmental outcomes; empathic concern; perception of social rejection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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