IMPLICATION OF ADOLESCENTS' OBLIGATION TO PARENTS FOR THEIR EMOTIONAL FUNCTIONING: MEDIATING ROLE OF DISCLOSURE TO PARENTS

Abstract

This research examined the implications of Chinese and American early adolescents' feelings of obligation to parents for their emotional functioning and the mediating role of disclosure to parents. Over their seventh and eighth grade, 934 adolescents (M = 12.65, SD = .38) from the United States and China reported their feelings of obligation, disclosure to parents, anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms in three waves of data collected over one year. A series of hierarchical regressions revealed that greater feelings of obligation to parents were associated with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms one year later for both Chinese and American early adolescents. Adolescents' disclosure to parents mediated this relationship; greater obligation predicted greater disclosure to parents six months later which in turn predicted lower anxiety and depressive symptoms another six months later. There were no cultural differences in the mediating pathway. These findings highlight the importance of early adolescents' obligation to parents in predicting future emotional well-being. Understanding the mechanism of this relationship has implications for interventions aimed at improving adolescents' emotional adjustment.