Academic challenges during early adolescence: Mothers' advice and youth responses to advice

Abstract

This study aimed to identify mothers' advice and youth acceptance/rejection of mothers' advice from 100 mother-youth conversations (youth M_age = 11.05 years; 53% boys) about youths' real-life academic challenges (e.g., difficulties with schoolwork) at T1. Out of all advice given, mothers offered the greatest proportion of cognitive reappraisal advice (i.e., think in threat-reducing ways), followed by strategizing and help-seeking advice. On average, youth responded ambiuously to mothers' advice. We also examined the independent and interactive associations of mothers' advice and youth responses at T1 in predicting youths' academic coping and school engagement seven months later. Mothers' cognitive reappraisal advice predicted more adaptive coping at T2; strategizing and help-seeking advice aligned with less adaptive coping. Associations were moderated by youths' responses to the respective advised solution. No associations emerged for maladaptive coping or school engagement. Findings provide insight into mothers' advice-giving within actual mother-youth conversations, with implications for youth adaptive coping.