REACHING TOWARDS RESILIENCE: SCHOOL MOTIVATION MODERATES THE RELATION BETWEEN PROBLEMATIC PARENTING AND ADOLESCENT EXTERNALIZING BEHAVIORS

Abstract

Fundamental adaptive systems such as achievement motivation have been identified as key mechanisms for affecting youth outcomes. These systems can be encouraged and supported in specific contexts, such as the school setting. This study explored whether school achievement motivation during mid-adolescence could protect against developing externalizing behaviors related to lax, psychologically controlling, or rejecting parenting experienced prior, in pre-adolescence. Motivation was defined and assessed according to adolescent behaviors displayed in the classroom. Data from the Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research (CEDAR) were obtained to carry out the study analyses. The total sample was 775 youth (M = 10.95 ± 0.88 years old; 69% male; 76% Caucasian, 21% African American, 3% multiracial at T1), though sample sizes on key variables where as low as 337 because of missing data. Analyses controlled for father lifetime psychiatric and substance use disorder diagnosis, family socio-economic status, adolescent school learning at T2, adolescent age and sex. Results showed that psychological and emotional forms of problematic parenting in pre-adolescence were associated with future externalizing problems in mid-adolescence, however behavioral forms of problematic parenting did not show any effect. When school motivation was high, adolescents showed the lowest levels of externalizing behaviors related to both psychologically controlling and rejecting parenting, followed by their moderate and low motivation peers. In most cases, only adolescents low in school motivation were significantly impacted by problematic parenting whereas adolescents moderate or high in motivation were not affected. Unexpected nuances in findings are also discussed.