Poster #22 - Are Discrepancies Between Fathers’ and Children’s Perceptions of Fathers’ Parenting Associated With Mental Health Problems?

• In Event: Poster Session 03

Abstract

Introduction: Differences in adolescent and parent report of socialization phenomena are pervasive (e.g., Abar et al., 2015), giving rise to multi-informant data collection and inventive ways to coalesce parent and adolescent perspectives (Laird & De Los Reyes, 2012). Yet, few studies examine the discrepancies themselves and what they portend. Among limited evidence available, mothers’ and children’s discrepant perceptions of parenting is associated with poorer health and thwarts identification of illness (Reidler & Swenson, 2012). However, to date, few studies have examined discrepancies between father and adolescent-report of family phenomena and their impact on adolescent mental health. In the current study, we examined discrepancies between father and adolescent reports of parent-adolescent conflict and harsh parenting, using them as informative data points associated with adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. Additionally, we examined if associations between discrepancies and symptoms varied by adolescent sex given fathers’ differential socialization goals and behaviors when raising male versus female adolescents (Hill & Lynch, 1983).

Methods: Participants were 326 fathers (Mage = 41.2) and their 7th grade children (Mage = 12.0; 48.5% female). Fathers and adolescents completed measures of Parent-Adolescent Conflict (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985) and Harsh Parenting (Schaefer, 1965). Fathers reported on adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Nonlinear regressions were conducted with a multigroup structural equation model framework (Grouping = adolescent sex). Following prior examples, single reporter effects of conflict and harsh parenting were represented using quadratic and linear terms and father-adolescent discrepancies were operationalized using interaction terms (Laird & De Los Reyes, 2013).

Results: Nonlinear regression analyses revealed that adolescent sex did not moderate associations between 1) conflict and symptomatology nor 2) harsh parenting and symptomatology. Thus, associations were examined within a single group framework. Linear father-reported conflict (β = 0.27, p < .001), linear adolescent-reported conflict (β = 0.14, p = .04), and their interaction (β = -0.13, p = .03) were significantly associated with father-reported adolescent internalizing problems (Figure 1). That is, when fathers and adolescents similarly reported lower levels of conflict, adolescents had the lowest father-reported internalizing problems. However, when fathers reported higher than average levels of conflict, but their adolescents reported lower levels of conflict, father-reported internalizing problems were highest.
Linear father reported-harsh parenting (β = 0.31, p < .001) and the interaction between father- and adolescent-reported harsh parenting were significantly associated with father-reported externalizing problems (β = 0.13, p = .007; Figure 2). At lower levels of father-reported harsh parenting, fathers also reported low levels of adolescent externalizing symptoms, regardless of adolescent perceptions of harsh parenting. Comparatively, when fathers reported higher levels of harsh parenting, but adolescents reported lower levels, father-reported adolescent externalizing symptoms were low.

Conclusions: Findings add to mounting evidence that informant discrepancies of family processes are important data points and have distinct associations with adolescent symptomatology. Interestingly, results suggest that discrepancies are not unilaterally indicative of greater mental health problems, rather that the associations are specific to the type of family phenomena that fathers and adolescents are reporting on.

Authors

• Sarah Grace Hidalgo, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Joanna Kim, Arizona State University

• Jenn-Yunn Tein, Arizona State University

• Nancy A Gonzales, Arizona State University