The association of parental monitoring and family structure with diverse maladjustment outcomes in middle adolescent boys and girls

Abstract

The aim of this study was to study the associations between family structure, parental monitoring and maladjustment outcomes among middle adolescent girls and boys. Data was collected through a school-based survey of a nationally representative sample of 17,643 Finnish adolescents aged 14-16 years. The less the parents knew the adolescents' friends and whereabouts, the more common were all the maladjustment outcomes studied. Non-intact family structure was associated with maladjustment and had associations independent of parental monitoring. We conclude that parental involvement with adolescents is conducive to healthy development, and that adolescents need the protection provided by parental supervision. Knowing the adolescent's whereabouts and friends is a concrete and easily measurable way of assessing parents' involvement in the adolescent's life.