Publication Date

2021

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Mounts, Nina S.

Degree Name

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

The accumulation of multiple risk factors predisposes adolescents to problem behaviors such as anxiety, depression, and aggression, whereas parental warmth and behavioral control are protective by lowering adolescents’ experiences of these problem behaviors. Research in predominantly Western, industrialized, and rich contexts has shown that in stressful family environments, cumulative co-occurring risks and parenting factors act together to influence adolescents’ problem behaviors. In particular, studies have shown that parental warmth and behavioral control mediate and moderate the effect of cumulative risk to predict adolescents’ problem behaviors. The present study examines the effect of cumulative risk, and mothers’ and fathers’ warmth and behavioral control on adolescents’ problem behaviors (i.e., anxiety, depression, overt aggression, relational aggression) using a sample of Ghanaian adolescents (n = 212). The age of the sample ranged from 9 to 17 years old (Mean = 13.38 years; SD = 2.12), and comprised of 61% girls and 39% boys. The goal was to determine whether the association between cumulative risk exposure and problem behaviors is mediated and moderated by mothers’ and fathers’ warmth and behavioral control, and whether the strength of the mediated and moderated effects varies by adolescents’ gender. Adolescents completed measures of cumulative risk indexed by low socioeconomic status, single parenthood and large sibling size, mothers’ and fathers’ warmth and behavioral control, anxiety, depression, and overt and relational aggression. Findings showed that higher levels of cumulative risk were associated with lower levels of mothers’ warmth, fathers’ warmth, mothers’ behavioral control, and fathers’ behavioral control. Higher levels of fathers’ warmth were associated with lower levels of anxiety, depression, and overt aggression. Higher levels of fathers’ behavioral control were associated with lower levels of overt aggression. Cumulative risk was indirectly related to overt aggression through fathers’ warmth. Additionally, cumulative risk was indirectly related to overt aggression through fathers’ behavioral control. In adolescent girls but not in boys, higher levels of cumulative risk were related to higher levels of anxiety, and higher levels of fathers’ warmth were related to lower levels of depression and overt aggression. In adolescent boys but not in girls, higher levels of cumulative risk were linked to lower levels of mothers’ and fathers’ warmth, and lower levels of mothers’ and fathers’ behavioral control. Additionally, in adolescent boys but not in girls, higher levels of cumulative risk were related to lower levels of overt aggression. Finally, higher levels of fathers’ behavioral control were related to lower levels of overt aggression in both adolescent girls and boys. Findings highlight the protective effect of positive caregiving in the context of co-occurring risks. Directions for future research are discussed.

Extent

227 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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