Parenting revisited: Profiles and associations with psychological distress among traumatized Chinese adolescents

While individual parenting behaviors have been shown to account for adolescents' posttraumatic symptoms, no study has investigated whether parenting profiles can relate to posttraumatic symptoms among Chinese adolescents. This study aimed to identify parenting profiles using person-centered latent profile analysis and examine their associations with psychological distress. Nine hundred and fifty-four Chinese adolescents completed questionnaires measuring their perception of parental psychological control, behavioral control, autonomy granting, mother and father rejection, and psychological distress (PTSD and psychiatric co-morbidity). Among them, six hundred and ninety-nine had experienced trauma in the past and were included in the data analysis. Four parenting profiles were generated: controlling-rejecting (lower level), autonomous-accepting, undifferentiated and controlling-rejecting (higher level). Undifferentiated parenting was the dominant profile. Adolescents who had parents with the autonomous-accepting parenting profile showed the least distress, while those with the controlling-rejecting (higher level) profile showed the most. Following trauma, adolescents can develop posttraumatic distress, the level of which can vary depending on different perceived parenting styles. Adolescents with parents who accept and give them autonomy tend to show a low level of distress.
Author(s): Yabing Wang [sup.1] , Man Cheung Chung [sup.2] , Na Wang [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.440718.e, 0000 0001 2301 6433, School of English Education, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, [...]