Observed and Perceived Parental Criticism Prospectively Predicts Substance Use Problems and Depression in Later Adolescence Open Access

Abstract

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to assess the relationship between objectively measured parental criticism, child perception of parental criticism and later youth outcomes of substance abuse and depression. We also explored congruency between objective and perceived measures of parental criticism and later youth psychopathology. We collected data from 388 family triads, inclusive of mothers, fathers, and adolescent children, from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP). We measured child perception of parent criticism at age 15 through the Child Report of Parent Behavior Inventory and objective measures of parent criticism through the Five-Minute Speech Sample (FMSS). At age 20, youth were administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, and the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST). Results revealed that perceived parental criticism significantly mediated the relationship between both maternal and paternal objective measures of criticism and youth depression outcomes, but that objective criticism more directly impacted youth substance use outcomes. Exploratory analyses revealed differences in youth outcomes related to incongruence in objective versus perceived parental criticism, suggesting that adolescents who perceived high father criticism despite low objective father criticism and those who did not perceive their objectively critical mothers as such were at risk for later psychopathology. The findings highlight the importance of adolescent perception in shaping mental health trajectories as well as the importance of examining both mothers and fathers in parenting research. Keywords: parental criticism, adolescent perception, substance use, depression, longitudinal

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………… 1

            Child Perception of Parenting…………………………………………………………. 2

            Congruence of Perception and Objective Measures ………………………………….. 3 

            Hypotheses…………………………………………………………………………….. 6

Methods……………………………………………………………………………………….. 7

            Participants……………………………………………………………………………. 7

            Sample………………………………………………………………………………… 8

            Procedure……………………………………………………………………………… 8 

            Measures………………………………………………………………………………. 8

Figure 1……………………………………………………………………………….. 10

Figure 2……………………………………………………………………………….. 11

Results………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 

            Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………. 12 

            Table 1………………………………………………………………………………… 14

            Table 2………………………………………………………………………………… 15

            Primary Analysis……………………………………………………………………… 15 

                        Figure 3………………………………………………………………...……... 16

                        Figure 4………………………………………………………………...……... 17

                        Figure 5………………………………………………………………...……... 18 

                        Figure 6………………………………………………………………...……... 18 

                        Figure 7………………………………………………………………...……... 19 

                        Figure 8………………………………………………………………...……... 20 

                        Figure 9………………………………………………………………...……... 21

                        Figure 10……………………………………………………………...……..... 22 

                        Figure 11……………………………………………………………...……..... 22

            Exploratory Analysis…………………………………………………………………. 23

                        Figure 12……………………………………………………………...……..... 24

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………….. 24

            Implications…………………………………………………………………………… 27 

            Strengths………………………………………………………………………………. 27 

            Weaknesses and Future Directions…………………………………………………… 27 

            Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………. 28 

References……………………………………………………………………………………. 29

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Emory College
Department	Psychology
Subfield / Discipline	Cognition and Development
Degree	B.S.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Developmental
Keyword	Parental criticism, adolescent, psychopathology
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dr. Patricia Brennan, Emory University
Committee Members	Dr. Jennifer McGee , Emory University Dr. Cathryn Johnson , Emory University

Last modified

Primary PDF

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions
	Observed and Perceived Parental Criticism Prospectively Predicts Substance Use Problems and Depression in Later Adolescence ()	2025-04-17 11:04:33 -0400	Press to Select an action Download

Supplemental Files

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions