The role of autonomy-supportive parenting in the competence, adherence and glycemic control of adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationships between autonomy support provided to adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes by their parents, and adolescents' competence, adherence to treatment, and glycemic control indicators. METHOD: Thirty-seven adolescents, along with one of their parents, completed a set of questionnaires on the level of autonomy support provided by their parents. Adolescents' self-treatment competence and their level of adherence to treatment were also measured. A recent blood test assessing the adolescents' 3-month average glycemic level (HbA1c) was retrieved from their medical records as a glycemic control indicator. RESULTS: Structural Equation Modeling suggested that parental autonomy support as reported by parents and adolescents was associated with higher adolescent self-treatment competence and higher adherence to treatment. These in turn were associated with better glycemic control. CONCLUSION: Parental autonomy support is crucial and may contribute to the competence, adherence, and physical wellbeing of adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. Parents should be instructed on ways to better support autonomy but still be involved in their child's life.

You should know me better: Parents' temperament-insensitivity has negative motivational effects on Bedouin and Jewish adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: We studied a recently conceptualized aspect of autonomy-support and suppression, not examined so far: Sensitivity to temperament dispositions. Based on self-determination theory, we hypothesized that, across cultures, disposition-frustrating decisions would have similar negative effects on adolescents' intrinsic motivation to participate in decision-related activities, and these negative effects would not be mitigated in collectivist-hierarchical cultures, when parents make the decision. METHOD: In Study 1 (n = 570, mean age = 15.2 years), Bedouin and Jewish adolescents were presented with work modes frustrating or supporting their shyness and sociability dispositions. For example, in one frustrating work mode condition, shy participants expected to work with strangers. Then, participants indicated their intrinsic motivation to participate in the activities. Study 2 (n = 278 Bedouins and Jews, mean age = 14.9 years) was an experiment using self-report and projective measures, examining the effects of temperament-supporting versus frustrating work modes, ostensibly chosen by parents, on adolescents' intrinsic motivation to participate in relevant activities. RESULTS: Both studies showed that, across cultures, frustrating work modes had negative effects on participants' intrinsic motivation. These effects were not moderated by cultural background. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that belonging to a collectivist Bedouin culture endorsing deference and obedience to parental authority does not mitigate the negative motivational effect of parents' temperament-insensitivity, and this type of autonomy-support is important across cultures.

When parents are inconsistent: Parenting style and adolescents' involvement in cyberbullying.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of cyberbullying among adolescents is globally on the rise. This study examined how general and cyber-specific parenting styles impact the prevalence of young adolescents' involvement in cyberbullying as victims and/or perpetrators. METHODS: One hundred and eighty 7th and 8th-grade Israeli students participated (Mean age = 13.25, SD = 0.81; 86 males, 89 females, 5 did not indicate gender). Adolescents reported the frequency of their involvement in cyberbullying, and whether their parents were using "autonomy-supportive" or "psychologically controlling" strategies generally and specifically when mediating internet use. RESULTS: A controlling parenting-style as well as an inconsistent internet-mediation style were associated with a higher prevalence of adolescent involvement in cyberbullying as victims and as perpetrators. Prevalence was higher when parents who generally use a controlling style were less controlling or consistent when mediating internet use. CONCLUSION: Despite the caveats related to parental control, parents who generally use a controlling style should consistently use this style while mediating cyber. Inconsistent parenting style conveys messages concerning internet activities that contradict what teens are accustomed to receiving in other contexts. This inconsistency may encourage them to exploit their relative freedom in the cyber context and act irresponsibly.

Scaffolding for motivation by parents, and child homework motivations and emotions: Effects of a training programme.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Based on the principles of scaffolding for motivation and on the assumptions of self-determination theory, two studies aimed to assess the role played by perceived parental autonomy-supportive scaffolding on child homework autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, affect, and engagement. SAMPLES AND RESULTS: The results of Study 1, which involved 122 parents and their children, showed that the higher the parental autonomous motivation, the more their children perceived them as autonomy-supportive while scaffolding for motivation, and hence developed autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, and engagement in homework. In Study 2, 37 parents were involved in a four-session training programme that focused on sustaining autonomy-supportive scaffolding modalities. The training decreased parental negative affect, prevented child negative affect increase, and maintained child homework motivation. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion focuses on the strength that parents have with regard to helping their children develop less negative, and potentially also more positive attitude towards homework, through autonomy support as a scaffold for motivation.

Parental support and adolescent motivation for dieting: the Self-Determination Theory perspective.

This article focuses on parents' role in overweight adolescents' motivation to diet and successful weight loss. The study employed Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as the theoretical framework (Deci & Ryan, 2000, 2011). Ninety-nine participants (ages 20-30) who had been overweight during adolescence according to their Body Mass Index (BMI mean = 25, SD = 1.6), completed retrospective questionnaires about their motivation to diet and their parents' behavior in the context of dieting. Findings from a structural equation modeling analysis suggested that participants who viewed their parents' as more need-supportive demonstrated more autonomous motivation to diet, which, in turn, contributed to their successful weight loss. The findings highlight the importance of parental support of adolescents' psychological needs in the quality of their motivation to diet. This is an important insight for parents and professionals who aim to encourage more constructive parent involvement in adolescents' dieting and well-being.