Parental Autonomy Support and Mental Health among Chinese Adolescents and Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

Chunhua Ma, Yongfeng Ma and Youpeng Wang ()
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Chunhua Ma: College of Educational Science and Technology, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou 730030, China
Yongfeng Ma: College of Educational Science and Technology, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou 730030, China
Youpeng Wang: Department of Petrochemical Engineering, Lanzhou Petrochemical University of Vocational Technology, Lanzhou 730060, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: Guided by the dual-factor model and self-determination theory, this study explored the relationship between parental autonomy support and mental health (i.e., life satisfaction and emotional problems) in adolescents and emerging adults, with a focus on the mediating role of self-esteem. We conducted two studies among independent samples in China, including 1617 adolescents aged 10 to 17 years ( M age =12.79, SD = 1.63; 50.7% girls; Study 1) and 1274 emerging adults aged 17 to 26 years ( M age = 20.31, SD = 1.63; 56.6% women; Study 2). All participants completed a set of self-reported questionnaires. The results of both studies validated our hypothesis; specifically, parental autonomy support was positively associated with life satisfaction, but negatively associated with emotional problems (emotional symptoms in Study 1 and depressive symptoms in Study 2). Meanwhile, self-esteem partially mediated the positive relationship between parental autonomy support and life satisfaction ( R 2 = 0.33 in Study 1; R 2 = 0.38 in Study 2), and partially mediated the negative relationship between parental autonomy support and emotional problems ( R 2 = 0.16 in Study 1; R 2 = 0.42 in Study 2). In summary, this suggests that the common antecedents of positive and negative indicators of mental health addressed in this study are prevalent in adolescents and emerging adults. These findings have important implications for preventive and interventional efforts aimed at mental health problems in both demographics.

Keywords: mental health; parental autonomy support; self-esteem; adolescents; emerging adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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