Parental monitoring longitudinally associates with reduced risk of adolescent mental health problems

Introduction: Prior research examining the impact of parenting on adolescent mental health has been limited by the use of cross-sectional designs and small or clinical samples. Methods: We used data (N = 6,212) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a UK-based birth cohort study. Results: We found longitudinal evidence that parental monitoring in late childhood/early adolescence (ages 9.5–13.5), but not the emotional quality of the parent-child relationship, reduces the likelihood of offspring major depressive disorder (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.64, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.56 – 0.76), anxiety disorder (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.53 – 0.69), and self-harm (OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.57 – 0.75) at age 18. Associations did not vary according to adolescent sex. Discussion: Findings indicate that parenting monitoring may be important for later adolescent mental health. Future research is needed to understand why this aspect of parenting is associated with better adolescent outcomes.