The development of parental monitoring during adolescence: A meta-analysis. Issue 5 (3rd September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lionetti, Francesca; Palladino, Benedetta Emanuela; Moses Passini, Christina; Casonato, Marta; Hamzallari, Oriola; Ranta, Mette; Dellagiulia, Antonio; Keijsers, Loes
• Is Part Of: European journal of developmental psychology. Volume 16:Issue 5(2019)
• Page Start: 552
• Page End: 580
• Publication Date: 2019-09-03
• Subjects: Parental solicitation -- parental control -- parental knowledge -- adolescent disclosure -- adolescent secrecy -- parental monitoring; Developmental psychology -- Periodicals; Developmental psychology -- Europe -- Periodicals; 155
• DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2018.1476233
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1740-5629

Abstract

Abstract: As adolescents grow up, one of the important developmental tasks is to individuate themselves and to become more autonomous from parents. This requires a realignment of the parent-adolescent communication. The current meta-analytic study aims at identifying developmental changes in parent-adolescent communication, conceptualized within the parental monitoring framework, as entailing parental solicitation, control and knowledge, and adolescent's disclosure and secrecy. Thirty-one longitudinal studies published between 2000 and 2015 were identified and included in the current meta-analysis. Informants, age at assessment and study duration were tested as moderators. Results showed a low to medium normative decline in parental control (Cohen's d = −.395, 95% CI [−.541, −.249]), knowledge ( d = −.245, 95% CI [−.331, −.160] and adolescence disclosure ( d = −.147, 95% CI [−.204, −.090]), and an increase in adolescent's secrecy ( d = .194, CI [031, .356]). Parental solicitation decreased based on parents' ( d = −.242, 95% CI[−.376, −.109]) but not on adolescents' reports ( d = .038, 95% CI[−.099, .175]). Another significant moderator was the duration of the study, with studies longer than 2 years being able to detect a more pronounced change in parental control than studies lasting less than 2 years (≤2 years, d = −.139 vs. duration > 2 years, d = −.581). Limitations of the current knowledge and new directions of studies are discussed.