Parenting, psychological insecurity, and mental health: Understanding the effects of adverse childhood experiences in adolescents

IF 3.4 2区心理学 Q1 FAMILY STUDIES

Child Abuse & Neglect Pub Date : 2025-07-10 DOI:10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107593

Kedibone J. Ramadie

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Adolescence is a critical developmental period during which individuals undergo significant cognitive, social, and emotional changes. Although extensive research shows that parenting styles can either promote or hinder adolescent mental health, relatively few studies have examined how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and psychological insecurity jointly mediate these effects in non-Western contexts.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate how authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles influence adolescent psychological well-being (PWB), with a specific focus on the mediating roles of ACEs and psychological insecurity among South African high school students.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was administered to 767 learners (M_age = 15.83, SD = 1.85) from Grade 8 to Grade 12. Participants completed validated measures of parenting styles (Parental Authority Questionnaire), adverse childhood experiences (Child Abuse and Trauma Scale), psychological insecurity (Psychological Insecurity Scale), and psychological well-being (Flourishing Scale). PLS-SEM structural model assessed direct and indirect effects.

Results

Authoritative parenting was positively and directly associated with higher PWB. In contrast, authoritarian and permissive parenting were linked to increased exposure to ACEs and heightened psychological insecurity, each of which contributed to lower PWB. Indirect effects indicated that ACEs and psychological insecurity partially mediated these relationships, underscoring the cumulative impact of early adversity and emotional vulnerability on adolescent mental health.

Conclusions

Findings highlight the importance of promoting authoritative parenting practices to foster resilience and mitigate the negative effects of ACEs and psychological insecurity. Culturally adapted, trauma-informed interventions and school-based mental health programs may be crucial for improving adolescent psychological well-being in resource-limited settings.

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养育子女、心理不安全感和心理健康：了解不良童年经历对青少年的影响

青春期是一个关键的发展时期，在此期间，个体经历了重大的认知、社会和情感变化。尽管广泛的研究表明，父母教养方式可以促进或阻碍青少年的心理健康，但相对较少的研究调查了不良童年经历（ace）和心理不安全感如何在非西方环境中共同介导这些影响。目的探讨权威型、专权型和宽容型父母教养方式对青少年心理健康的影响，并特别关注ace与南非高中生心理不安全感的中介作用。方法对8 ~ 12年级767名学生（M_age = 15.83, SD = 1.85）进行横断面调查。参与者完成了父母教养方式（父母权威问卷）、不良童年经历（儿童虐待和创伤量表）、心理不安全感（心理不安全感量表）和心理健康（繁荣量表）的有效测量。PLS-SEM结构模型评估了直接和间接影响。结果权威型父母教养与高PWB呈正相关。相比之下，专制和放任式的养育方式与ace暴露的增加和心理不安全感的增加有关，这两者都导致了较低的PWB。间接效应表明，不良经历和心理不安全感部分介导了这些关系，强调了早期逆境和情感脆弱性对青少年心理健康的累积影响。结论：研究结果强调了推广权威型育儿方式对培养韧性、减轻ace和心理不安全感的负面影响的重要性。在资源有限的环境下，适应文化、了解创伤的干预措施和以学校为基础的心理健康项目可能对改善青少年心理健康至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Child Abuse & Neglect Multiple-

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

10.40%

发文量

397

期刊介绍： Official Publication of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect The International Journal, provides an international, multidisciplinary forum on all aspects of child abuse and neglect, with special emphasis on prevention and treatment; the scope extends further to all those aspects of life which either favor or hinder child development. While contributions will primarily be from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, social work, medicine, nursing, law enforcement, legislature, education, and anthropology, the Journal encourages the concerned lay individual and child-oriented advocate organizations to contribute.