Associations between Mother-Adolescent and Father-Adolescent Relationships and Young Adult Health

Citation

Ford, Carol A.; Pool, Andrew C.; Kahn, Nicole F.; Jaccard, James; & Halpern, Carolyn Tucker (2023). Associations between Mother-Adolescent and Father-Adolescent Relationships and Young Adult Health. JAMA Network Open, 6(3), e233944. PMCID: PMC10031392

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Studies linking the quality of parent-adolescent relationships with young adult health outcomes could inform investments to support these complex relationships.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether consistently measured, modifiable characteristics of parent-adolescent relationships are associated with young adult health across multiple domains.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study used data from waves I (1994-1995; ages 12-17 years) and IV (2008-2009; ages 24-32 years) of the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Of 20 745 adolescents enrolled in wave I, 15 701 of 19 560 who were eligible completed wave IV (response rate, 80.3%). Data analyses were conducted from February 2019 to November 2020.
EXPOSURES: Parental warmth, parent-adolescent communication, time together, relationship and communication satisfaction, academic expectations, and maternal inductive discipline as reported at wave I by adolescent participants.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Wave IV participant-reported self-rated health, depression, stress, optimism, nicotine dependence, substance abuse symptoms (alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs), unintended pregnancy, romantic relationship quality, physical violence, and alcohol-related injury. Separate regression models were run for mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationships while controlling for age, biological sex, race and ethnicity, parental educational level, family structure, and child maltreatment experiences.
RESULTS: A total of 10 744 participants (mean [SD] age at wave IV, 28.2 [1.8] years; 52.0% female; 67.3% non-Hispanic White) and 8214 participants (mean [SD] age at wave IV, 28.2 [1.8] years; 50.8% female; 71.9% non-Hispanic White) had valid sampling weights and complete data for mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationship characteristics, respectively. Adolescents who reported higher levels of mother-adolescent warmth (

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.3944

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2023

Journal Title

JAMA Network Open

Author(s)

Ford, Carol A.
Pool, Andrew C.
Kahn, Nicole F.
Jaccard, James
Halpern, Carolyn Tucker

Article Type

Regular

PMCID

PMC10031392

Data Set/Study

National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health)

Continent/Country

United States of America

State

Nonspecific

Race/Ethnicity

Hispanic/Latinx
White
Black

ORCiD

Halpern - 0000-0003-4278-5646