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Parental knowledge is an environmental influence on adolescent externalizing
Author(s) -
Marceau Kristine,
Narusyte Jurgita,
Lichtenstein Paul,
Ganiban Jody M.,
Spotts Erica L.,
Reiss David,
Neiderhiser Jenae M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/jcpp.12288
Subject(s) - association (psychology) , developmental psychology , psychology , externalization , offspring , parental monitoring , clinical psychology , social psychology , pregnancy , biology , psychotherapist , genetics
Background There is evidence both that parental monitoring is an environmental influence serving to diminish adolescent externalizing problems and that this association may be driven by adolescents' characteristics via genetic and/or environmental mechanisms, such that adolescents with fewer problems tell their parents more, and therefore appear to be better monitored. Without information on how parents' and children's genes and environments influence correlated parent and child behaviors, it is impossible to clarify the mechanisms underlying this association. Method The present study used the Extended Children of Twins model to distinguish types of gene–environment correlation and direct environmental effects underlying associations between parental knowledge and adolescent (age 11–22 years) externalizing behavior with a Swedish sample of 909 twin parents and their adolescent offspring and a US ‐based sample of 405 White adolescent siblings and their parents. Results Results suggest that more parental knowledge is associated with less adolescent externalizing via a direct environmental influence independent of any genetic influences. There was no evidence of a child‐driven explanation of the association between parental knowledge and adolescent externalizing problems. Conclusions In this sample of adolescents, parental knowledge exerted an environmental influence on adolescent externalizing after accounting for genetic influences of parents and adolescents. Because the association between parenting and child development originates in the parent, treatment for adolescent externalizing must not only include parents but should also focus on altering their parental style. Thus, findings suggest that teaching parents better knowledge‐related monitoring strategies is likely to help reduce externalizing problems in adolescents.