Subjective well-being and parenting in adolescence: Do peers matter when things are not so good?

Objective

The study aimed to investigate the association between adolescents' subjective well-being and parenting, as well as the moderating role of peer relationships between the negative aspects of parenting and subjective well-being.Method: Adolescents (n = 331) attending Junior High School and High School (aged 12-18 years) in the broader area of Attica, Greece, participated in the study. Participants completed the Berne Questionnaire of Subjective Well-Being/Youth Form, the 40-item Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran Child Version (EMBU-C) questionnaire (for ages 7-16 years), and the Friendship Quality Scale.

Results

There was a positive association between parental emotional warmth and adolescents' satisfaction, as well as between parental rejection and adolescents' ill-being. Furthermore, closeness to friends moderated the association between adolescents' ill-being and rejection by mothers and fathers. Girls and older adolescents had higher scores in the negative factors of subjective well-being, while girls scored higher in all friendship factors. Finally, based on adolescents' perceptions, mothers had significantly higher scores than fathers in all parenting variables.

Conclusions

Findings highlight the significance of the implementation of tailored interventions in schools and families for promoting adolescents' well-being.