Intergenerational discrepancies of parental control among Chinese American families: Links to family conflict and adolescent depressive symptoms

This study investigated how discrepancies between adolescents’ and parents’ endorsement of parental control contribute to adolescent depressive symptoms. Family conflict was hypothesized to mediate the link between parent–adolescent discrepancies and depressive symptoms. The sample consisted of 166 pairs of Chinese American adolescents and their parents. The results indicated that, as predicted, greater discrepancies between adolescents and their parents on parental control related to greater adolescent depressive symptoms. Furthermore, adolescent's perceived degree of family conflict partially mediated this relation. Both parents and adolescents are changing and adapting to their cultural contexts; some in synchrony and some not. Identifying areas where parents and adolescents diverge concerning values, behaviors, and beliefs, is an important avenue to understanding Chinese American adolescents’ mental health.