Adolescent Hope as a Mediator Between Parent-Child Connectedness and Adolescent Outcomes

Keywords

cognitive development/critical thinking/reasoning, motivation, parenting, path analysis, positive youth development, structural equation modeling

Abstract

This study examines adolescent hope as a mediator between connectedness to mother and father, and positive and negative child outcomes. Participants included 489 adolescents aged 9 to 14 years (M = 11.29; SD = 1.01) and their parents from the Flourishing Families Project, and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results suggested that hope mediated the relation between child-reported parent-child connectedness and adolescents’ prosocial behavior, school engagement, and internalizing behavior. Mother-and father-reported connectedness were not related to adolescent hope but were directly related to behavioral outcomes. This study highlights the importance of adolescents’ cognitive-motivational processes for both positive and negative outcomes and has important implications for prevention and intervention programs.

Original Publication Citation

Padilla-Walker, L. M., Hardy, S., & *Christensen, K. J. (2011). Hope as a mediator between parent-child connectedness and adolescent outcomes. Journal of Early Adolescence, 31, 853-879.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2010-09-02

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7730

Publisher

Journal of Early Adolescence

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Link to Full Text

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