Abstract

The present study examined the mediating role of identity development in the relation between parenting attitudes and adolescents' mental health. We examined the positive and negative aspects of parenting attitudes, identity development, and mental health to understand the mechanism by which parenting attitudes affect mental health through identity development. To do so, we recruited 218 high school seniors to complete an online survey about perceived parenting attitudes, mental health, and identity development. Zero-order correlation analyses revealed that positive parenting attitudes, characterized by warmth, support for autonomy, and structure, were positively associated with well-being and negatively associated with maladjustment, while negative parenting attitudes, characterized by rejection, coercion, and chaos, had the opposite associations. Furthermore, positive parenting attitudes were positively associated with consolidated identity and negatively associated with disturbed identity and lack of identity, while negative parenting attitudes had the opposite associations. Mediation analyses revealed that autonomy support and structure were associated with higher mental well-being and lower maladjustment via consolidated identity, while rejection and chaos were associated with lower well-being and higher maladjustment via lack of identity. In addition, rejection and chaos were associated with higher maladjustment via disturbed identity. By identifying how parenting attitudes affect adolescent identity development and mental health, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between parenting attitudes, identity development, and mental health. Given the developmental characteristics of adolescence, such as an increased need for autonomy, and the developmental task of identity formation, this study's findings suggest that positive parenting attitudes that support autonomy and provide structure may lead adolescents to develop their own identity and improve their mental health.