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Project

One day is not the other when it comes to parenting an adolescent: A dynamic, trait-state perspective on autonomy-relevant parenting in adolescence

Given that most developmental tasks in adolescence (e.g., identity formation) essentially deal with
autonomy, it is important for parents to support their adolescent’s autonomy and to avoid
engaging in autonomy-suppressing parenting. Most studies on autonomy-relevant parenting have
focused on stable differences between parents, thereby adopting a trait perspective on parenting.
A few studies indicated that parents’ autonomy-relevant parenting fluctuates from day to day and
on a situational basis. This work suggests that a more dynamic, state-perspective towards
parenting is needed. Because studies up till now adopted either a trait-like or a state-like approach
to autonomy-relevant parenting, the interplay between trait and state levels of such parenting has
not been investigated yet. In this project I seek to gain a better understanding of this interplay,
thereby addressing two important sets of questions. First, I investigate the conditions under which
trait levels of parenting manifest in corresponding state levels of parenting, thereby examining the
role of parental stress in this association. Second, I investigate whether adolescents growing up in
generally more autonomy-supportive families benefit more from a new situational or daily
autonomy-supportive interaction, presumably because they are more sensitized to its benefits.
These questions will be investigated using a diary-based, experimental and intervention-based
design.

Date:1 Oct 2018 →  30 Sep 2022
Keywords:adolescence
Disciplines:Specialist studies in education, Education systems, General pedagogical and educational sciences, Education curriculum, Other pedagogical and educational sciences