AbstractsPsychology

The relations between mismatched parent-adolescent autonomy beliefs, and psychological adjustment and parenting self-efficacy were investigated among 89 immigrant Chinese Canadian families with early adolescents. Hierarchical regression analyses assessed whether interactions between parents’ autonomy beliefs and adolescents’ autonomy beliefs predicted psychological adjustment and parenting self-efficacy. Parent-adolescent conflict intensity was evaluated as a mediator of these relations. Parental warmth was evaluated as a moderator of the relations between autonomy beliefs and adolescent psychological adjustment. When adolescents held early expectations for autonomy, mothers who held later expectations for autonomy reported lower parenting self-efficacy. When fathers perceived high decision making independence, adolescents who perceived low decision making independence reported fewer depressive symptoms. Conflict intensity did not mediate these relations. Although parental warmth did not moderate in the predicted manner, fathers' warmth moderated the relation between fathers’ expectations for autonomy and adolescent self-esteem. Implications for healthy adolescent autonomy among immigrant Chinese Canadian families are discussed.