PARENTING THE TEEN : A REVIEW OF PARENTS’ ROLE IN

PREVENTING PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOR OF ADOLESCENT

Dhia Diana Fitriani, Ah Yusuf, Ferry Efendi

Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga
fitriani.dhia93@gmail.com, ah-yusuf@fkp.unair.ac.id, ferry-e@fkp.unair.ac.id

Keywords: parent, interaction, role, adolescent, problem behavior.

Abstract: Adolescents’ risky behavior such as high-risk sexual behavior, delinquency, antisocial, drug use, low self-
esteem, and academic failure are related to poor family function, especially interaction with parents. The aim
of this study is to see the relationship between interaction of parent and adolescent in adolescent’s behavior.
Methods: The key words used were related to the family included “parent,” “monitoring,” “parental
warmth,” “parent-child relationship,” “parental support,” “parenting styles” and “family”. Journal articles
search were done electronically using multiple databases, namely: DOAJ, Sage, Proquest, Medline, Google
Scholar, Science Direct and Elsierver. Limitation year used was 5 years (2012 -2017). From the results
obtained ten literatures selected of journal articles from 2037 journal articles found. Result: Ten studies
raised in this study were all cross-sectional design. Combined findings of this study provided support for the
interaction of parents interaction to adolescents’ behaviour. Conclusion: Effective parenting during
adolescence has been needed to decrease risk behavior due to peers influence. However, parents must
balance the need for adolescent structure and supervision with adolescents’ growing need for independence.
Parenting styles with both warmth and effective discipline, have consistenly been linked to positive
adolescence well-being and lower levels of adolescence risky behavior.

1 BACKGROUND to increased rates of binge drinking, risky sexual

Adolescence is a developmental period marked
by considerable change, including puberty, cognitive
development, identity exploration, and the
development of autonomy (Smetana, CampioneBarr,
& Metzger, 2006). As adolescence progresses, youth
tend to spend less time with their family and more
time with their peers (Smetana et al., 2006) yet
strong family relationships have been associated
with reduced risk for a host of youth problems,
ranging from substance use to delinquency, risky
sexual behavior, and youth depression (Greenberg &
Lippold, 2013). Parents have a critical influence on
reducing youth risk taking even though adolescence
as youth become more peer-focused (Steinberg &
Silk, 2002). Juggling this amount of simultaneous
change presents significant challenges, and it is
therefore not surprising that during this period,
adolescents are at increased vulnerability to
psychological problem (Doremus-Fitzwater,
Varlinskaya, & Spear, 2010; McLaughlin & King,
2014; Negriff & Susman, 2011). In addition, risk
taking during adolescence tends to increase, leading
activity, and crime (Steinberg, 2007).
Given its critical role, the family is often a key
target of efforts to improve youth outcomes after the
emergence of problems, such as behavioral or
mental health issues. That is parents can mobilize
their capabilities to prevent the emergence of youth
problems thereby promoting healthy development
over the life course of youth (Van Ryzin, Kumpfer,
Fosco, & Greenberg, 2016).
Four parenting styles have been known as the
balance of control and warmth: authoritarian (low
warmth, high control), authoritative (high warmth
and control), permissive (high warmth and low
control), and neglecting (low warmth and control)
(Maccoby & Martin, 1983). Parents commonly aim
to prevent their adolescent from engaging in risky
activities. Parental monitoring-one aspect of the
control dimension-has been defined as a set of
parenting behaviors that involves attention to track
of adolescent whereabouts, activities, and
friendships (Dishion & McMahon, 1998). For
example, parents can demand to be informed by

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setting monitoring rules, which is known as parental
control.
A number of studies have emerged over the years
examining the connection between the family and
adolescence behavior. However, the absence of a
literature review that synthesizes existing research
on the connection between the family and
adolescence behavior is notable. A review of the
evidence on the relation between specific parenting
strategies and adolescence behavior is important,
since this might offer concrete guidance on gaps in
knowledge as well as intervention strategies.
2 METHOD
2.1 Goals of the study
The goal of the present study is to review the
existing literature on parental influence (i.e.,
parental warmth and parental monitoring) on
adolescent behavior.
2.2. Search strategies and inclusion criteria
Systematic reviews of the literature take a variety
of forms and use methods depending on the purpose
for the review (Bem, 1995; Marsh, Angell,
Andrews, & Curry, 2012). We searched the
literature for relevant studies using keywords that
relate to risk behavior, as well as parenting, and
limited the focus to youth between the ages of 10
and 18. Terms related to the family included
“parent,” “monitoring,” “parental warmth,” “parent-
child relationship,” “parental support,” “parenting
styles” and “family.” We searched for articles
published prior to June 2017. The age range was
incorporated into the search by including such terms
as “teen,” “youth,” and “adolescent”. Related
publications were obtained with computer database
search in Science Direct, PsycInfo, PubMed,
SCOPUS, Medline and Google Scholar. Year
limitation used was from 2012 to 2017. From 2037
articles obtained, the article’s inclusion criteria
were: 1) parent-adolescent interaction; 2) samples
were adolescent; 3) articles’ design was cross-
sectional. Titles and abstracts of all articles were
reviewed and for articles that appeared relevant, the
full text version was retrieved and evaluated for
inclusion in the review. Articles were included in the
review if they were peer-reviewed, the full text was
available, if they explored the relation between
family related variables and adolescent behavior,
and were written in English.
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3 RESULT
Parents’ parenting style of autonomy support and
psychological control between adolescents’ school
performance in China was conducted by Qian Wang,
et al (2012). Wang took these 341 respondents, all of
them were adolescents. In his research, significant
interactions were found between parents’
socialization goals and adolescents’ grades in
predicting parenting behaviors. When adolescents
were doing well at school, the stronger parents’
endorsement of self-development socialization
goals, the greater their autonomy support and the
lesser their psychological control, and vice versa.
when adolescents were doing poorly at school,
regardless of parents’ socialization goals, their
autonomy support was relatively low and their
psychological control was relatively high.
Tara M. Chaplin et.al (2012), also conducted
research with parents and adolescents about their
conflict interactions between adolescent alcohol use.
The purpose of the study was to observe parenting
behaviors (support, structure, criticism) and
adolescents' physiological and emotional responses
to parent–adolescent interactions to examine
associations with adolescent alcohol use. From 58
sample of adolescents and parents, Findings suggest
that heightened emotional and physiological
responses to parent–adolescent conflict interactions
in youth may be one pathway by which parenting is
associated with adolescent alcohol use and risk for
abuse.
The relationship between the role of parent-
adolescent interaction with adolescents’ behavior
was also corroborated by research conducted by
Vanphanom Sychareun, et al (2013). Sychareun
conducts research aimed to provide descriptive
information about the influence of peers and parent–
youth interactions on young people’s sexual
behaviours. Survey of 1200 adolescents (females
and males) found that female respondents who felt
highly connected to their mothers were less likely to
engage in sexual activity than those who felt less
connected. Further, males appear to have much
greater closeness with their mothers and fathers than
females.
Some studies also noted the linked of parent-
adolescent interaction and adolescent behavior on
adolescent internet addiction. These studies include
research by Jian Xu, et.al (2014). In the study Xu
made a survey of 5122 adolescents from 16 high
schools via stratified-random sampling in Shanghai.
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Self-reported and anonymous questionnaires were
used to assess parent-adolescent interaction. Her
study found that the quality of parent-adolescent
relationship or communication was closely
associated with the development of AIA (Adolescent
Internet Addiction), and maternal factors were more
significantly associated with development of AIA
than paternal factors. Family social-economic status
moderated adolescent internet-use levels but not the
development of AIA.
The studies performed by Melissa A. Lippold,
et.al (2014) aimed to investigate whether and how
day-to-day consistency in positive parent–child
interactions was linked to youth depressive
symptoms, risky behavior, and physical health.
Participants were 129 adolescent whose parents
were employed in the IT division of a Fortune 500
company. The results revealed that revealed that,
controlling for cross-day mean levels of positive
parent–child interactions, older (but not younger)
adolescents who experienced more consistency in
positive interactions with parents had fewer
depressive and physical health symptoms (e.g.,
colds, flu).
Marie C. Haverfield & Theiss (2016) studied
about parental communication of responsiveness and
control as predictors of adolescents’ emotional and
behavioral aimed to examines how features of
interpersonal communication between parents and
their children facilitate the resilience of children of
alcoholic parents versus nonalcoholic parents. From
parent–adolescent dyads (30 families of alcoholics,
30 families of nonalcoholics) found that parental
responsiveness was positively associated with
emotion regulation, and parental control was
negatively associated with emotion regulation and
positively associated with impulsivity on
adolescents.
Subsequent research on the relationship of
parental influence to adolescents’ behavior was
performed by Lourah M. Kelly, et al (2017). Kelly
took a survey of 117 adolescents and confirmed that
parental monitoring was associated with lower
frequency of adolescent alcohol use, even after
controlling for the three risk factors. Significant
interactions were found between parental monitoring
and both adolescent and parental depressed mood.
Parental monitoring had significant protective
effects against drinking frequency among
adolescents with higher levels of depressed mood,
but not among adolescents with lower levels of
depressed mood. By contrast, parental monitoring
only had protective effects among those parents with
lower levels of depressed mood. Parental
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problematic alcohol use did not affect the
relationship between parental monitoring and
adolescent alcohol use.
Some studies also noted the linked of parent-
adolescent interaction and adolescent behavior on
bullying. Study by Tia Panfile Murphy, et al (2017)
examined the interplay between parent attachment
and peer attachment as factors related to roles
(bullying involvement, defending a victim, and
outsider) during bullying. One-hundred forty-eight
adolescents. completed surveys about parent and
peer attachment and roles during bullying. Findings
indicated that greater attachment security to parents
and peers was associated with less involvement in
bullying and greater defending of victims (ps < .05).
Silva & Calheiros (2017) conducted study of
interparental conflict and adolescents’ self-
representations as mediated by their perceived
relationships with parents. Three hundred and sixty
adolescents participate on the survey. Study foud the
correlations were in line with the theoretically
expected pattern of relationships: interparental
conflict showed significant negative correlations
with adolescents’ perceptions of support in their
relationship with both their mother and father.
Subsequent research of the relationship between
the role of parent-adolescent interaction with
adolescents’ behavior was also conducted by
Margraf & Pinquart (2017) in their study of maternal
responsiveness and control on change in
externalising behavior problems. Their study
compared 124 adolescents from special schools for
students with emotional and behavioural
disturbances (EBDs) and 133 regular schooled
adolescents with regard to their perceived maternal
behavior. An interaction effect of school type and
parenting behaviour on externalising behaviour was
found. Maternal warmth/support predicted a
decrease and maternal strict control an increase in
subsequent problem behavior only for adolescents
from special schools.
4 DISCUSSION
Effective parenting during adolescence has been
linked to many positive adolescence outcomes,
including lower levels of adolescents’ risky behavior
and mental health problems (Greenberg & Lippold,
2013). Consistent with the FAAR model and Family
Resilience Framework (Patterson, 2002; Walsh,
2002), parent-adolescent relationships that are
warm, nurturing, and supportive have been
associated with lower levels of antisocial behavior in
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adolescence, such as hostility and aggression
towards others, as well as delinquency, substance
use, and depression. In contrast, harsh and hostile
parenting during adolescence has been linked to
increased risk for these behaviors (Bornstein, 2006).
However, parents must balance the need for
adolescent structure and supervision with
adolescents’ growing need for independence.
Parenting styles with both warmth and effective
discipline, have consistenly been linked to positive
adolescence well-being and lower levels of
adolescence risky behavior (Baumrind, 2013).
5 CONCLUSIONS
Adolescence is a developmental period marked
by considerable change, including puberty, cognitive
development, identity exploration, and the
development of autonomy. As adolescence
progresses, youth tend to spend more time with their
peers yet strong family relationships have been
associated with reduced risk for a host of youth
problems, ranging from substance use to
delinquency, risky sexual behavior, and youth
depression. Thus, effective parenting during
adolescence has been needed to decrease risk
behavior due to peers influence. However, parents
must balance the need for adolescent structure and
supervision with adolescents’ growing need for
independence. Parenting styles with both warmth
and effective discipline, have consistenly been
linked to positive adolescence well-being and lower
levels of adolescence risky behavior.
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