Adolescent Mental Health Following Exposure to Positive and Harsh Parenting in Childhood

Childhood parental bonding and depression in adulthood: A study of mothers in rural Pakistan

BACKGROUND

Parent-child relationship quality can have long-term impacts on child mental health into adulthood. The impact of parental behaviors on the future mental health of children has been understudied in South Asia, where parenting approaches differ from the dominant western approaches often represented in the literature.

METHODS

Mothers in rural Pakistan (N = 828) reported on their own mothers' parenting behaviors using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and were assessed for depression using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID). The PBI includes scales for warmth (care scale) and over-control (protection scale), as well as subscales for behavioral control and psychological control. We used structural equation modeling to test the associations between depression and all PBI scales/subscales.

RESULTS

Increased parental care was associated with lower probability of depression (B = -0.19, SE = 0.09). Parental protection was associated with higher probability of depression (B = 0.25, SE = 0.11). Among the protection subscales, behavioral control was associated with increased risk of depression (B = 0.24, 95 % SE = 0.11) and psychological control was associated with decreased risk of depression (B = -0.28, SE = 0.12).

LIMITATIONS

This cross-sectional study used retrospective self-reports of parenting experiences. Participants only reported on their mothers, not fathers or other caregivers.

CONCLUSIONS

In a rural Pakistani sample, maternal warmth was protective against adulthood depression. The association between maternal control and depression varied based on the type of control (behavioral or psychological), emphasizing the importance of nuanced measures of parental control in this context.

Caregiver preferences for physically harsh discipline of children in rural Uganda

Purpose

Physically harsh discipline is associated with poor developmental outcomes among children. These practices are more prevalent in areas experiencing poverty and resource scarcity, including in low- and middle-income countries. Designed to limit social desirability bias, this cross-sectional study in rural Uganda estimated caregiver preferences for physically harsh discipline; differences by caregiver sex, child sex, and setting; and associations with indicators of household economic stress and insecurity.

Method

Three-hundred-fifty adult caregivers were shown six hypothetical pictographic scenarios depicting children whining, spilling a drink, and kicking a caregiver. Girls and boys were depicted engaging in each of the three behaviors. Approximately half of the participants were shown scenes from a market setting and half were shown scenes from a household setting. For each scenario, caregivers reported the discipline strategy they would use (time out, beating, discussing, yelling, ignoring, slapping).

Results

Two thirds of the participants selected a physically harsh discipline strategy (beating, slapping) at least once. Women selected more physically harsh discipline strategies than men (b = 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26 to 0.54). Participants shown scenes from the market selected fewer physically harsh discipline strategies than participants shown scenes from the household (b = -0.51; 95% CI, -0.69 to -0.33). Finally, caregivers selected more physically harsh discipline strategies in response to boys than girls. Indicators of economic insecurity were inconsistently associated with preferences for physically harsh discipline.

Conclusions

The high prevalence of physically harsh discipline preferences warrant interventions aimed at reframing caregivers' approaches to discipline.

Incredible years parenting program buffers prospective association between parent-reported harsh parenting and epigenetic age deceleration in children with externalizing behavior

Harsh parenting has been shown to increase the risk of physical and mental health problems in later life. To improve our understanding of these risks and how they can be mitigated, we investigated associations of harsh parenting with a clinically relevant biomarker, epigenetic age deviation (EAD), using data from a randomized-control trial of the Incredible Years (IY) parenting program. This study included 281 children aged 4-8 years who were screened for heightened externalizing behavior and whose parents were randomly allocated to either IY or care-as-usual (CAU). Parents reported on their own parenting practices and their child's externalizing behavior at baseline and at a follow-up assessment approximately three years later. Epigenetic age, based on the Pediatric Buccal Epigenetic (PedBE) clock, was estimated from child DNA methylation derived from saliva collected at the follow-up assessment. PedBE clock estimates were regressed on chronological age as a measure of EAD. Moderation analyses using multiple regression revealed that harsher parenting at baseline predicted epigenetic age deceleration in children that received CAU (b = -.21, 95% CI[-0.37, -0.05]), but no association was found in children whose parents were allocated to IY (b = -.02, 95% CI [-0.13, 0.19]). These results highlight a prospective association between harsh parenting and children's EAD and indicate a potential ameliorating effect of preventive intervention. Future work is needed to replicate these findings and understand individual differences in children's responses to harsh parenting in relation to epigenetic aging.

Association between Parenting Styles and Adolescents' Mental Disorders: Findings among Pre-University Students

Background

Existing research indicated a high prevalence of mental health issues among adolescents. Gender and parenting styles are two factors that may influence adolescents' mental health. Nonetheless, most published studies focused on either secondary school or university students. In contrast, there is a dearth of similar research involving pre-university students. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of mental disorders among pre-university students and their association with parenting styles.

Methods

A cross-sectional study via online questionnaire survey was conducted among students from a pre-university college on the East Coast of Malaysia. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: i) sociodemographic data, ii) the Parental Authority Questionnaire and Depression, and iii) the Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). An online invitation to answer the questionnaire was done via the Student Representative Council (SRC). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square test.

Results

A total of 431 participants responded to the online survey. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was 49.0% (n = 210), 68.0% (n = 293) and 37.6% (n = 162), respectively. In addition, father's educational level (χ2 = 10.332, P = 0.001) and the authoritarian parenting style (χ2 = 10.099, P = 0.006) were significantly associated with mental health disorders among adolescents.

Conclusion

The prevalence of mental disorders among pre-university students is relatively high. Pre-university admission mental health screening is vital for early detection and intervention of mental disorders among this vulnerable group. Further research is imperative to establish a comprehensive plan of action that targets parental involvement in managing adolescent mental health disorders.

Trajectories of parental harshness and exposure to community violence differentially predict externalizing and internalizing mental health problems in legal system-involved youth

Youth with legal system involvement are especially likely to experience parental harshness (PH) and exposure to community violence (ETV), two common forms of life stress. However, most studies examine these stressors separately or collapse across them in ways that preclude examination of their co-occurrence. Consequently, it is unclear 1) how PH and ETV simultaneously fluctuate across development and 2) how these fluctuations predict future mental health problems in legal system-involved youth. We used group-based multi-trajectory modeling to estimate simultaneous trajectories of PH and ETV in 1027 legal system-involved youth and regression analyses to understand how trajectory membership predicted mental health problems three years later. Four trajectories of co-occurrence were identified (1: Low; 2: Moderate and Decreasing; 3: Moderate PH/High ETV; 4: High PH/Moderate ETV). Compared to the Low trajectory, all trajectories with PH/ETV elevations predicted violent crime and substance problems; trajectory 3 (Moderate PH/High ETV) predicted nonviolent crime and depression/anxiety symptoms; trajectory 4 (High PH/Moderate ETV) predicted depression diagnosis. These results elucidate how PH and ETV typically co-occur across adolescence for legal system-involved youth. They also reveal important commonalities and dissociations among types of mental health problems.

Intraindividual variability in parental acceptance-rejection predicts externalizing and internalizing symptoms across childhood/adolescence in nine countries

Parenting that is high in rejection and low in acceptance is associated with higher levels of internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) problems in children and adolescents. These symptoms develop and can increase in severity to negatively impact adolescents' social, academic, and emotional functioning. However, there are two major gaps in the extant literature: (a) nearly all prior research has focused on between-person differences in acceptance/rejection at the expense of examining intraindividual variability (IIV) across time in acceptance/rejection; and (b) no prior studies examine IIV in acceptance/rejection in diverse international samples. The present study utilized six waves of data with 1,199 adolescents' families living in nine countries from the Parenting Across Cultures study to test the hypotheses that (1) higher amounts of youth IIV in mother acceptance/rejection predict higher internalizing and (2) externalizing symptoms, and (3) that higher youth IIV in father acceptance/rejection predict higher internalizing, and (4) externalizing symptoms. Meta-analytic techniques indicated a significant, positive effect of IIV in child-reported mother and father acceptance/rejection on adolescent externalizing symptoms, and a significant positive effect of IIV in father acceptance/rejection on internalizing symptoms. The weighted effect for mother acceptance/rejection on internalizing symptoms was not statistically significant. Additionally, there was significant heterogeneity in all meta-analytic estimates. More variability over time in experiences of parental acceptance/rejection predicts internalizing and externalizing symptoms as children transition into adolescence, and this effect is present across multiple diverse samples. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Relationship Between Harsh Parenting and Smartphone Addiction Among Adolescents: Serial Mediating Role of Depression and Social Pain

Purpose

With the increasing prevalence of smart phones, adolescent smartphone addiction has garnered significant attention from researchers. Previous studies have revealed that smartphone addiction is associated with various internalization and externalization problems. Therefore, this present study aims to investigate the risk factors contributing to adolescent smartphone addiction.

Methods

Study 1 recruited a sample of 540, 690, and 470 Chinese students aged between 10-17 years for exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and predictive validity analysis of the social pain scale. Study 2 utilized data from a sample of 718 Chinese students aged between 10-17 years to examine the measurement model used revised social pain scale, smartphone addiction scale, harsh parenting scale, and depression sub-scale.

Results

The present study revealed that (1)The Social Pain Scale had good applicability in Chinese adolescents; (2) There were significant, positive correlations among harsh parenting, smartphone addiction, depression and social pain; (3) Social pain and depression played a partially serial mediating role in the relationship between harsh parenting and smartphone addiction, and similarly the relationship between paternal harsh parenting and smartphone addiction, while a completely serial mediating role in the relationship between maternal harsh parenting and smartphone addiction.

Conclusion

This study provides a direct path (improving parenting style) and an indirect path (reducing social pain to reduce depression) regarding interventions for adolescents with smartphone addiction, and establishes a basis for improving the situation of adolescent smartphone addiction.

Influential factors of depression: The impact of harsh parenting, school support, and rumination

Building on Beck's cognitive model of depression, this study examined the link between harsh parenting and adolescent depression via rumination. In addition, this study examined the moderating effect of school support. A survey of 4991 high school students in China was conducted utilizing the Harsh Parenting Scale, Rumination Responses Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The results of this study unveiled a positive association between harsh parenting and adolescent depression. Furthermore, it was observed that rumination partially mediated the relationship between harsh parenting and adolescent depression. Notably, the results indicated that school support exerted a negative regulatory influence on the latter part of the mediation model, demonstrating that higher levels of school support effectively mitigated the adverse impact of rumination on depression. These findings highlight the crucial role of interventions targeted at reducing harsh parenting practices and bolstering school support in mitigating adolescent depression. By addressing these factors, we can make noteworthy progress in promoting the overall well-being and mental health of adolescents.

Aggressive parenting: social, medical and legal aspects

OBJECTIVE

Aim: To examine the impacts of aggressive parenting on physical, mental and emotional development; outcomes for society; possible ways of prevention of children' rights or health violation and responsibility of parents to optimize well-being of children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and Methods: The analysis of scientific data has been conducted on the basis of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases in order to collect the existed results of researches about social and medical aspects of impact of aggressive parenting. The formal-legal method was used to interpret the provisions of legislation regarding the protection of personal non-property rights and responsibilities of parents and children.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: Aggressive parenting affects children of all ages and is associated with chronic stress and long-term negative impacts on physical development, cognitive and behavioral dysfunction, socioemotional difficulties, social and psychological dysfunction in adulthood. Aggressive parenting triggers a child' aggressive behavior which is considered as a predictor of adult's criminality. From a legal standpoint, aggressive parenting is a form of violation of the responsibility of parents to educate a child, which is an element of family legal relations regulated by the norms of the family law institution known as ≪Personal non-property rights and responsibilities of parents and children". The definition of aggressive parenting has been defined with its legal features and characteristics. Effective prevention methods should be directed to predict possible further parental violence, intervention programs to reduce outcomes of aggressive parenting and to improve the ways of responsibility in procedural and material aspects of law.

The relationship between harsh parenting and adolescent depression

Guided by Beck's cognitive model of depression, this study comprehensively explores the mechanisms linking harsh parenting, rumination, and victimization to the development of adolescent depression. A total of 5047 adolescents were assessed using the Harsh Parenting Scale, Rumination Scale, Olweus Bullying/Victimization Questionnaire, and Beck Depression Inventory. The results indicated that harsh parenting positively influences adolescent depression. Moreover, rumination emerged as an important mediator between harsh parenting and adolescent depression, similar to victimization. Additionally, we found that both rumination and victimization act as chain mediators in the relationship between harsh parenting and adolescent depression. These findings demonstrate that harsh parenting impacts adolescent depression mediated by rumination and victimization. By shedding light on these mechanisms, this study improves our comprehension of how harsh parenting influences adolescent depression and offers valuable insights for designing interventions to alleviate depression in this population.

Attention Bias and Anxiety: The Moderating Effect of Sociocultural Variables in Rural Latinx Youth

Attention bias confers risk for anxiety development, however, the influence of sociodemographic variables on the relationship between attention bias and anxiety remains unclear. We examined the association between attention bias and anxiety among rural Latinx youth and investigated potential moderators of this relationship. Clinical symptoms, demographic characteristics, and a performance-based measure of attention bias were collected from 66 rural Latinx youth with clinical levels of anxiety (33.3% female; Mage = 11.74; 92.4% Latinx, 7.6% Mixed Latinx). No moderating effects for age or gender were found. Youth below the poverty line displayed an attention bias away from threat in comparison to youth above the poverty line, who displayed an attention bias towards threat. Among youth below the poverty line, this bias away from threat was associated with increased anxiety. Findings highlight the importance of economic adversity in understanding the relationship between attention bias and anxiety.

Disrupting Maternal Transmission of Depression: Using Integrative Data Analysis (IDA) to Examine Indirect Effects of the Family Check-Up (FCU) Across Three Randomized Trials

Maternal depression is a well-established risk factor for the development of depression in offspring. As such, reducing maternal depression may be key to effective prevention efforts to reduce offspring's depression. Based on the broad risk represented by maternal depression, examining cross-over effects of parent-focused interventions on maternal depression is important. The present study examined improvements in maternal depression as a mediator of the long-term effects of the Family Check-Up (FCU) prevention program on youth depression across three randomized controlled trials. The FCU is a family-focused intervention originally designed to reduce youth problem behaviors, particularly conduct problems and substance use, but has also been found to have cross-over effects on other youth problem behaviors, including internalizing symptoms. We utilized integrative data analysis that allows for powerful tests of prevention effects across trials, specifically moderated nonlinear factor analysis, to integrate data across three trials: one trial initiated in early childhood and two in early adolescence. Using a latent growth modeling approach, we first examined direct effects of the FCU on changes in maternal depression. Then we examined the mediating effect of maternal depression on changes in both parent and youth reports of youth depression. A significant intervention effect on maternal depression was observed across the three trials, with the FCU predicting improvements in maternal depression. In turn, such improvements predicted a reduction in the growth in both parent and youth reports of youth depressive symptoms across 10 years post baseline. These results demonstrate the utility in addressing cross-over effects of family-focused interventions in reducing the long-term development of depression in youth through mediating pathways.

Harsh Childhood Discipline and Developmental Changes in Adolescent Aggressive Behavior: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion

Harsh discipline during childhood (psychological aggression and corporal punishment) has been found to be an early risk factor for adolescent aggressive behavior. However, previous studies have mainly examined the relationship between harsh discipline as a whole and the level of adolescent aggressive behavior. This study investigates the effects of childhood psychological aggression and corporal punishment on the initial levels and rate of change in adolescent aggressive behavior, as well as the mediating role of self-compassion in this relationship. Using cluster sampling, a three-wave follow-up assessment was conducted on 1214 high-school students (60.7% boys; mean age at Wave 1 = 15.46 ± 0.71). The results showed that childhood psychological aggression and corporal punishment had a positive predictive effect on the development level of adolescent aggressive behavior. However, only childhood psychological aggression significantly directly attenuated the decline rate of adolescent aggressive behavior. In addition, both childhood psychological aggression and corporal punishment indirectly affected the initial levels and growth rate of adolescent aggressive behavior through self-compassion. These findings could provide potential targets for prevention and intervention programs aimed at improving aggressive behavior in Chinese adolescents.

Prenatal maternal stress, child internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and the moderating role of parenting: findings from the Norwegian mother, father, and child cohort study

BACKGROUND

Few studies have examined how parenting influences the associations between prenatal maternal stress and children's mental health. The objectives of this study were to examine the sex-specific associations between prenatal maternal stress and child internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and to assess the moderating effects of parenting behaviors on these associations.

METHODS

This study is based on 15 963 mother-child dyads from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). A broad measure of prenatal maternal stress was constructed using 41 self-reported items measured during pregnancy. Three parenting behaviors (positive parenting, inconsistent discipline, and positive involvement) were assessed by maternal report at child age 5 years. Child symptoms of internalizing and externalizing disorders (depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and oppositional-defiant disorder) were assessed by maternal report at age 8. Analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling techniques.

RESULTS

Prenatal maternal stress was associated with child internalizing and externalizing symptoms at age 8; associations with externalizing symptoms differed by sex. Associations between prenatal maternal stress and child depression, and conduct disorder and oppositional-defiant disorder in males, became stronger as levels of inconsistent discipline increased. Associations between prenatal maternal stress and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in females were attenuated as levels of parental involvement increased.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirms associations between prenatal maternal stress and children's mental health outcomes, and demonstrates that these associations may be modified by parenting behaviors. Parenting may represent an important intervention target for improving mental health outcomes in children exposed to prenatal stress.

Developmental competencies, temperament, parenting practices and psychosocial adversities in children with internalising disorders - A pilot study

Research on the aetiology of internalising disorders has focussed on biological and environmental factors, however, the role of developmental competencies that a child acquires has not been explored much. The current report aimed to understand the association among the developmental competencies, temperament, parenting practices and psychosocial adversities in internalising disorders. The sample consisted of 30 children and adolescents with internalising disorders belonging to the age group of six to 18, and one of their parents. All the participants were assessed for functional impairment, temperament, interpersonal competence, emotion regulation, executive function, self-concept, adaptive behaviour, parenting practices, life events and family environment using standardised tools. The findings revealed that positive parenting shares a negative relationship with functional impairment(ρ=-0.62; p <.001). On comparison with non-clinical samples in previous studies, interpersonal competence and self-concept were found to be at lower levels in the current sample. In conclusion, the current study indicates that children with internalising disorders differ from control groups in specific developmental competences. These findings have specific implications for intervention and research in the area of internalising disorders in children and adolescents.

Mindfulness mediates the relationship between positive parenting and aggression, depression, and suicidal ideation: A longitudinal study in middle school students

Previous research has indicated that parenting factors affect the risk of maladaptive psychological outcomes (e.g., aggression, depression, or suicidal ideation), and that positive parenting is a prospective risk factor for maladaptive psychological outcomes. However, the mechanisms underlying the relationships between positive parenting, mindfulness, and maladaptive psychological outcomes remain unknown, as do the processes that mediate the effect of positive parenting on maladaptive psychological outcomes in adolescents. The objective of the present study was to investigate the longitudinal relationship between positive parenting, mindfulness, and maladaptive psychological outcomes in middle school students, as well as the mediating effect of mindfulness in the relationships between positive parenting and depression, aggression, and suicidal ideation. In this study, 386 middle school children (aged 12–16) were tested three times over a period of 6 months. Positive parenting was assessed at Time 1, mindfulness at Time 2, and depression, aggression, and suicidal ideation at Time 3. Using structural equation modeling, positive parenting was revealed to be longitudinally associated with mindfulness and negatively associated with maladaptive psychological outcomes. More crucially, mindfulness mediated the relationship between positive parenting and maladaptive psychological outcomes. This research provides important insights into how to effectively decrease adolescent maladaptive psychological outcomes and highlights the importance of teaching mindfulness to youths.

Investigating the association between sleep and aspects of mental health in children: findings from the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth

INTRODUCTION

Sufficient sleep and good quality sleep are crucial aspects of children's healthy development. While previous research has suggested associations between sleep and positive mental health, few studies have been conducted in Canadian children.

METHODS

This study used data from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth. Parents of children aged 5 to 11 years (N = 16 170) reported on their children's sleep habits and mental health. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate means and percentages for sleep and mental health indicators. Logistic regression was used to compare mental health outcomes by meeting sleep duration recommendations (9-11 hours of sleep vs. < 9 or > 11 hours of sleep), sleep quality (difficulties getting to sleep) and having enforced rules for bedtime.

RESULTS

Overall, 86.2% of children aged 5 to 11 years met sleep duration recommendations (9-11 hours of sleep), 90.0% had high sleep quality and 83.1% had enforced rules for bedtime. While 83.0% of children had high general mental health, mental health diagnoses were reported for 9.5% of children, and 15.8% of children required or received mental health care. High sleep quality was consistently associated with better mental health, enforced rules for bedtime were associated with some negative mental health outcomes and meeting sleep duration recommendations tended not to be associated with mental health outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Sleep quality was strongly associated with mental health among children in this study. Future research should explore longitudinal associations between sleep and mental health in Canadian children.

The Role of Mindfulness in Mitigating the Detrimental Effects of Harsh Parenting among Chinese Adolescents: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model in a Three-Wave Study

Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study aimed to investigate the mediating role of depressive symptoms and the moderating role of mindfulness in the association between harsh parenting and adolescent suicidal ideation in the Chinese cultural context. Using a three-wave (i.e., three months apart) data collection among 371 Chinese adolescents, this study found that depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between harsh parenting and adolescent suicidal ideation. Moreover, adolescent mindfulness mitigated the effects of harsh parenting on suicidal ideation, as well as the indirect effect of harsh parenting on suicidal ideation via depressive symptoms. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Longitudinal Associations Among Low-Income Mothers' and Fathers' Parenting and Relationships with Children and Adolescent Depression

Few studies have examined the associations among quality of parent-child relationships, parenting, and adolescent depression in samples of low-income mothers and fathers with large numbers of nonresidential fathers. This study used the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data (N = 3,384) to examine the longitudinal associations among parent-child closeness, harsh parenting, and neglect when children were nine years old and adolescent depression at age 15. The findings indicated that children who perceived having close relationships with mothers and fathers at age nine reported significantly less depression at age 15, regardless of residential status. Moderation analyses showed a stronger negative relationship between daughters' closeness with mothers and depression than sons' closeness with mothers and depression. Daughters and sons who were close to fathers reported less depression. There were no significant associations among harsh discipline or neglect and depression. The findings support the use of interventions that promote healthy attachments and close parent-child relationships between low-income parents and children.

Dual-harm in adolescence and associated clinical and parenting factors

PURPOSE

Both aggression toward others and self peak in adolescence and interpersonal violence and suicide are among the leading causes of death in young people worldwide. Individuals who show both aggression toward others and self, i.e. dual-harm, may experience the worst outcomes. The current study investigates clinical and parenting factors associated with dual-harming in adolescence, to provide new insights for prevention and treatment.

METHODS

In a prospective cohort of adolescents, oversampled on emotional and behavioral problems (n = 1022; aged 12-17 years), we investigated co-occurrence in harm toward others and self and presented findings in an area-proportional Euler diagram. Four harm groups (no harm, other-harm, self-harm, and dual-harm) were compared on intelligence scores, general functioning, emotional and behavioral problems, substance use, parental hostility, and harsh parenting with ANCOVAs and logistic regressions.

RESULTS

In adolescents that other-harmed, the risk of self-harm was 1.9 times higher than for those who did not harm others. Dual-harm adolescents reported worse overall functioning, more emotional and behavioral problems, more parental hostility and harshness, and were more likely to use substances than those who did not engage in aggressive behaviors. No evidence of differences in intelligence scores between groups were found.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight a vulnerable group of adolescents, at risk of future suicide, violent offending, and the development of severe psychopathology. Dual-harm is a promising marker for early intervention and referral to specialized mental health professionals. Further research is needed to examine underlying pathways and risk factors associated with persistent dual-harm trajectories into adulthood.

Pathways from parenting practices to adolescent suicidality: Evidence on the role of emotional and behavioral symptoms from a prospective cohort of Canadian children

OBJECTIVE

To investigate longitudinal relationships between parenting practices in childhood and adolescent suicidality, and assess the mediating role of emotional and behavioral symptoms.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, a Canadian population-based longitudinal cohort study. The sample included 9,490 children aged 10-11 who were followed up biennially to ages 14-15. Parents reported their positive and punitive parenting practices when children were 10-11. Adolescents self-reported symptoms of depression/anxiety, hyperactivity, conduct disorder, and social aggression at 12-13, and past-year suicidal ideation and suicide attempts at 14-15.

RESULTS

The inverse associations between positive parenting at 10-11 and suicidal behaviors at 14-15 were significantly mediated by symptoms of hyperactivity, conduct disorder, and social aggression at 12-13. Direct relationships between punitive parenting and suicidal behaviors were observed. These associations were significantly mediated by hyperactivity and, among boys only, by conduct disorder and social aggression. The association between punitive parenting and suicide attempt was additionally mediated by depression/anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Parenting in childhood may be associated with adolescent suicidality both directly and indirectly through emotional and behavioral symptoms. Interventions aimed at reducing the use of harsh disciplinary strategies and promoting positive parent-child interactions may reduce the burden of adolescent suicidality.