Poster #55 - Parent strategies to help emerging adults manage stress are associated with emerging adult well-being

• In Event: Poster Session 19

Abstract

Introduction: Emerging adults (EAs ages 18-25) report high levels of stress, which increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and poor psychological well-being (Arnett, 2006; Bjuo & Sanchez, 2014; Hoyt et al., 2020). Daily stressors, such as conflicts and demands inside and outside of the family (e.g., at school/work), are important drivers of psychological well-being (Almeida, 2005; Anderson et al., 2020; Lippold et al., 2016). EAs are in frequent contact with their parents and regularly discuss daily stressors with their parents, yet little is known about how parents help EAs manage stress, and which strategies help, and which hinder EAs adjustment (Fry et al., 2020; Martin-Romero et al., 2022). In this cross-sectional pilot study, we extend models of dyadic coping from the marital literature to the parent-child relationship. Specifically, we examine whether and how specific parenting practices that help EAs manage daily stress (i.e., dyadic coping strategies) are associated with emerging adult depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being.

Methods: The sample consisted of 680 emerging adult students enrolled in a 4 year or a 2-year college. We adapted the Dyadic Coping Inventory (originally used to study marital relationships; Bodenmann, 2008) to reflect the parent-child relationship. Subscales included parent-provided dyadic coping strategies (i.e., emotion and problem focused supportive, negative, and delegated DC) as well as common-joint DC (i.e., where parents and EAs solve problems together) and parent-EA stress communication. First, we used Confirmatory Factor Analysis in MPlus to test the measurement structure and fit of the adapted measure, and whether it was invariant by EA race and gender. Next, we used structural equation modeling to test whether dyadic coping was associated with EA depressive and anxiety symptoms (assessed by the SMFQ; Angold et al., 1995 and the Mini MASQ; Casillas & Clark, 2000) and psychological well-being (engagement, perseverance, optimism connectedness, and happiness; assessed by the EPOCH; Kern et al., 2016). Models controlled for EA race/ethnicity, age, gender, and parent-education.

Results: The adapted DCI fit the data well( χ2(120) = 367.290, p < .001, RMSEA = .055 [CI .049 to .062], SRMR = 0.026, CFI = 0.989) and was invariant by race (change in χ2 (60) = 45.988, p = .9087) and gender (change in χ2 (30) = 33.492, p = .3016). Dyadic coping was significantly associated with all measures of EA anxiety, depression, and well-being (see Table 1). EAs with parents who engaged in more parent-provided emotion-focused and problem-focused supportive DC and delegated DC were less likely to report depression and anxiety symptoms and more likely to report positive psychological well-being. Greater EA stress-communication and common-joint DC were also associated with positive EA outcomes. In contrast, EAs who experienced negative parent-provided DC were more likely to report depression and anxiety and lower psychological well-being.

Conclusions: Dyadic coping was a robust cross-sectional predictor of EA depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being, suggesting it may be an effective intervention target for family-based interventions during emerging adulthood. Future planned longitudinal studies that can unpack the direction of effect between dyadic coping and EA adjustment will be discussed.

Authors

• Melissa A Lippold, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Presenting Author

• Michaeline Jensen, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Gregory Chase, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Kacey Wyman

• Melissa Jenkins, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Guy Bodenmann, University of Zurich