Associations between adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being: is there a buffering role of boys’ and girls’ relationships with their mothers and fathers?

Abstract

Background Internalizing mental health problems (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) are known to be related negatively to adolescents’ well-being. However, whether this negative association manifests equally in boys and girls, and the potential buffering role of high-quality relationships with mothers and fathers, remain unknown. Thus, the present study was conducted to 1) investigate associations among adolescents’ internalizing problems and mother– and father–adolescent relationship quality, on the one hand, and adolescents’ well-being, on the other hand, 2) explore the buffering role of high-quality mother– and father–adolescent relationships in the association between adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being, and 3) examine gender differences in these main and buffering effects. Methods The analysis sample consisted of 1064 adolescents (53.7% girls; aged 11–17 years) from three secondary schools in the Netherlands. Participants filled out an online questionnaire incorporating the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form to measure well-being, the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-25 to measure internalizing problems, and the Network of Relationships Inventory to measure mother– and father–adolescent relationship quality. The cross-sectional data were analyzed using path models in R, controlling for age, ethnocultural background, and education level. Multigroup analyses were performed to identify gender differences. Results Adolescents with fewer internalizing problems (β = − 0.40, p < 0.001) and adolescents with higher-quality relationships with their mothers and fathers reported higher concurrent levels of well-being (β = 0.10 to 0.18, all p < 0.01). The quality of mother-adolescent relationships had a significantly larger association with adolescents’ well-being than that of father-adolescent relationship quality. However, relationships with mothers and fathers did not significantly buffer the association between adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being. Multigroup analyses revealed no difference between boys and girls. Conclusions The current study contributes to the understanding of internalizing problems as an important risk factor for adolescents’ well-being, regardless of the quality of relationships with mothers and fathers. The quality of adolescents’ relationships with their parents is associated positively with their well-being, even in the presence of internalizing problems. These findings underline the importance of mothers’ and fathers’ roles in adolescent boys’ and girls’ well-being.

Emotional (dys)Regulation and Family Environment in (non)Clinical Adolescents’ Internalizing Problems: The Mediating Role of Well-Being

“…Finally, the adolescents in the clinical group presented lower levels of well-being, which is in line with the results of previous studies that compared adolescents with and without anxiety and depression ( Derdikman-Eiron et al, 2011 ; Luijten et al, 2021 ). In this regard, it is important to understand that, according to Keyes (2002) , low levels of subjective well-being are associated with a less positive assessment of the overall satisfaction with one’s life (emotional well-being), with a more negative assessment of the quality of relationships with others and with the environment (social well-being), and even with lower personal acceptance and sense of life (psychological well-being).…”

“…In the family context, children learn to express emotions to understand the messages they transmit and their various regulatory processes ( Larson et al, 2002 ). Additionally, the quality of family relationships is one of the factors that influence the mental health of individuals (e.g., Benetti, 2006 ; Herrenkohl et al, 2012 ; Luijten et al, 2021 ), so it is important to understand its role in the development and maintenance of internalizing disorders in adolescence. The environment perceived and interpreted by the various elements that make up the family—defined as the family environment—has a very significant influence on the emotional, physical, social and intellectual development and the behavior of its younger members.…”

Personality pathology in adolescence: relationship quality with parents and peers as predictors of the level of personality functioning

“…On the other hand, higher maternal support was associated with lower subsequent BPD scores and was seen as a strong protective factor [36]. Higher quality of relationships with father and mother was in general associated with higher adolescent well-being and it seems that interpersonal support can offer some survival strategies that help to build relational capacities in the complicated process of personality maturation [56,57]. Our findings reveal that lower levels of closeness with parents account for higher impairments in personality functioning, but, however, data suggest that sufficient levels of closeness can also be associated with higher adaptive level of personality functioning.…”

The Roles of Social Media Use and Friendship Quality in Adolescents’ Internalizing Problems and Well-being

“…The present study was part of a larger two-wave longitudinal project on the socioecological predictors of the well-being of adolescents in the Netherlands (Luijten et al, 2019 ; 2021a ; 2021b ). With the schools’ provision of informed consent, adolescents from three secondary schools located in the areas of two large cities in the Netherlands (Amsterdam and Rotterdam) participated in the two study waves in spring 2018 (T1; grades 7–9) and spring 2019 (T2; grades 7–10).…”