Parent-adolescent discrepancies in perceived parental warmth and authoritarian parenting and early adolescents’ depressive symptoms

Abstract

This study investigated discrepancies in parents’ and early adolescents’ perceptions of parental warmth and authoritarian parenting about early adolescents’ depressive symptoms, including the mediating effect of parent-adolescent communication. The sample comprised of 2,443 Chinese early adolescents (M_age = 12.64 years, SD=0.23 years; 50.6 % boys) and their parents. Data analysis used latent difference score modeling and structural equation modeling. Parents perceived more parental warmth and authoritarian parenting than did adolescents. Perceived discrepancies in parental warmth and authoritarian parenting between parents and adolescents predicted early adolescent depressive symptoms via the mediating role of parent-adolescent communication. The findings provide new perspectives on interventions for adolescent depressive symptoms.