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Adolescent Perceptions of Parental Behaviors, Adolescent Self-Esteem, and Adolescent Depressed Mood

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Abstract

Using symbolic interaction, we developed a research model that proposed adolescent perceptions of parental support and psychological control would be related to adolescent depressed mood directly and indirectly through self-esteem. We tested the model using self-report questionnaire data from 161 adolescents living with both of their biological parents. To examine possible gender of adolescent differences, we tested two multigroup models separately for adolescents’ perceptions of mothers’ and fathers’ parental behaviors. Both the fathers’ and mothers’ models yielded (a) direct paths from self-esteem to depressed mood (for boys and girls), psychological control to depressed mood (for boys) and (b) an indirect path from support to self-esteem to depressed mood (for girls and boys) and an indirect path from psychological control to self-esteem to depressed mood (for girls). In addition, in the fathers’ model a significant direct path was found between fathers’ support and depressed mood (for girls).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family & Consumer Sciences, California State University-Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, 91330-8308, USA

    Scott W. Plunkett & Pedro C. Falcon III

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    Carolyn S. Henry

  3. Department of Child Development and Family Relations, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

    Linda C. Robinson

  4. North Carolina State University, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Andrew Behnke

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  1. Scott W. Plunkett
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Correspondence to Scott W. Plunkett.

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Plunkett, S.W., Henry, C.S., Robinson, L.C. et al. Adolescent Perceptions of Parental Behaviors, Adolescent Self-Esteem, and Adolescent Depressed Mood. J Child Fam Stud 16, 760–772 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-006-9123-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-006-9123-0

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