Age-Varying Associations of Maternal Knowledge and Adolescents’ Depressive Symptoms in Dyadic and Cultural Contexts

AI Summary

Higher mother-reported parental knowledge predicts lower adolescent depressive symptoms during early adolescence.
Protective association is strongest when adolescents report low disclosure, low perceived parental knowledge, or low respeto socialisation.
Interventions should help parents sustain appropriate awareness of adolescents' daily lives, not rely solely on promoting adolescent disclosure.

J Adolesc. 2026 Jul 2. doi: 10.1002/jad.70222. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Extensive research has documented the influence of parental knowledge on adolescents’ mental health. Although adolescence is marked by rapid developmental changes, how the influence of parental knowledge varies across age remains understudied, particularly within dyadic and culturally informed frameworks that consider adolescents’ disclosure, perceptions of parental knowledge, and cultural values.

METHODS: Data was drawn from a three-wave longitudinal study of Mexican immigrant families in central Texas (2012-2020; N = 604, 483, 334 across waves), including adolescents aged 11 to 18 years old (M_age = 12.9, 13.7, 17.6 across waves; 54.3% female, and 75.3% U.S.-born at Wave 1). Time-varying effect models (TVEM) were used to examine age-varying associations between mother-reported parental knowledge and adolescents’ depressive symptoms, as well as the moderating roles of adolescent-reported disclosure, perceived parental knowledge, and respeto socialization.

RESULTS: Higher mother-reported parental knowledge was associated with adolescents’ lower depressive symptoms during early adolescence. This association emerged mainly among adolescents who reported lower levels of disclosure or parental knowledge, or experienced lower levels of respeto socialization.

CONCLUSION: Findings highlight early adolescence as a sensitive period during which parental awareness is particularly protective, especially when adolescent disclosure is limited and cultural socialization processes are less strongly endorsed. Interventions should therefore move beyond promoting adolescent disclosure alone and support parents in maintaining developmentally appropriate awareness of adolescents’ daily lives.

PMID:42389874 | DOI:10.1002/jad.70222

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