An assessment of demographic factors and parental behaviors associated with adverse adolescent mental health outcomes

This study sought to identify demographic and parental behavioral factors that may provide explanations for negative mental health and behavioral outcomes among adolescent children. Factors found to be most strongly associated with negative outcomes were low levels of parental involvement with their adolescent children and low-levels of parent-adolescent closeness. Two primary research questions were investigated in this study. The primary research questions were as follows: (1) Do variations in family demographic factors explain variations in mental health and behavioral outcomes among adolescent children, and, if so, which demographic factors provide such explanations, and which mental health outcomes and behavioral outcomes are affected? (2) Do variations in parental behaviors explain variations in mental health and behavioral outcomes among adolescent children, and, if so, which parental behaviors provide such explanations, and which mental health outcomes and behavioral outcomes are affected?; The data for this study were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth). Analyses (univariate and multivariate) of matching data assessed potentially relationships between (a) family demographic and parental behavioral factors, as independent variables, and (b) negative mental health and behavioral outcomes among adolescent children, as dependent variables. Positive, significant relationships were found between parental involvement in the lives of their adolescent children and adolescent depression, anxiety, locus of control, and substance abuse. Negative, significant relationships were found between parental involvement and adolescent suicide ideation and risky sexual behavior. Positive, significant relationships were found between parent-adolescent closeness and adolescent depression, anxiety, locus of control, substance abuse, suicide ideation, and risky sexual behavior.