Long Term Effects of Parenting on Children's Mental Health in Young Adult Age

• In Event: 606 - Section on Social Psychology Roundtable Session (co-sponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. Mental Health

Abstract

In this paper, I examine long lasting effects of experiences of parenting in the juvenile age on their emotional well-being in their young adult age. Even though there have been a lot of debates done regarding ‘Decline in Family’, family itself still have significant effects on development of children. As many prominent scholars stated, parenting can be considered as influential and fundamental factor interplays in intergenerational transmission of parents’ social resources to their children, even in the form of emotional well-being.
By using nationally representative longitudinal dataset, ADD health, effects of parenting experience in juvenile age (Wave I) is measured in terms of concerted cultivation and positive parenting, allowing more decisions by children and better relationship with parents. Emotional well-being is measured in their young adult age (Wave IV). In multiple regression model, concerted cultivation is not statically significantly associated with children’s emotional well-being in their young adult age after controlling parent’s and children’s social resources. However, positive parenting with better relation and care with children still statistically significantly associated with better emotional well-being of children in young adult age. Therefore, even though the parenting style experienced in young age, it still affects children’s emotional well-being in their young adulthood age, after controlling their social resources.

Author

• Jaein Lee, University of Maryland-College Park