Poster #239 - The Influence of Parenting Style on Adolescent Health Media Use and Online Health Literacy Skills

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Technology, Media & Child Development

Integrative Statement

A topic of increasing concern, given rapidly rising rates in adolescent media use and presence online, has been how parenting practices may define and shape that use and presence (Valcke, Bonte, De Wever, & Rots, 2010). Because online health information is plentiful and readily available to any adolescent with a computer or mobile device, online health literacy skills require a different skillset of rapid process, curation, and elimination of sources—skills not required (or at least not as quickly) when evaluating health information offline (Gray et al., 2005). In this study, we examined the relationship between parenting styles (i.e., authoritative, authoritarian, permissive), frequency of online health information seeking behavior, and online health literacy skills among early (aged 13–15 years) and late (ages 16–18 years) adolescents. Specifically, parents’ use of mediation tactics such as monitoring and limit setting, solicitation for youth disclosure, and attitude toward their role as a health educator were examined as potential mediators of this relationship. Findings from surveys completed by parents and their children indicated that authoritarian and permissive parenting style (as reported by parents) positively predicted children's online health searching frequency; and authoritative parenting style (also reported by parents) positively predicted online health literacy skills. Additionally, when introducing potential mediating factors into the relationship between parenting style and online health seeking and online health literacy; the relationship between authoritarian parenting style and online health information seeking was mediated by maternal solicitation for youth disclosure, and the relationship between authoritative parenting style and online health literacy skills was mediated by the mothers’ use of mediation tactics. These findings suggest that parents who practice a more authoritative parenting style—which encompasses a mix of high control/demandingness and warmth—create a balanced media rule setting, foster open communication about consequences of online choices, and encourage adolescent autonomy. These findings were consistent for both younger and older adolescents, indicating that the aforementioned relationships between parenting style and adolescent online behaviors are present for the entire span of adolescence.

Authors

• Brittney J Huntington, Fordham University
  Presenting Author

• Fran Blumberg, Fordham University
  Non-Presenting Author