Parental awareness of adolescent risk involvement: implications of overestimates and underestimates

To explore: 1) parent-adolescent discrepancies on adolescent risk involvement; 2) factors related to parental overestimates and/or underestimates of specific adolescent risk behaviors; and 3) the association of parental overestimates and/or underestimates at baseline with subsequent adolescent risk involvement.

754 African American parent-adolescent dyads were recruited from 35 low-income urban communities in Baltimore, Maryland. Parent-adolescent discordance (overestimates and underestimates) regarding adolescent involvement in risk behaviors in three areas (sex, substance use, and violence) were assessed. Multiple logistic regression models were performed to examine the association of parental overestimates or underestimates with subsequent adolescent risk involvement, and to explore potential factors related to parental overestimates and underestimates of each behavior.

Percentage of parental overestimation and underestimation ranged from 3% to 24% and 53% to 86%, respectively, for targeted behaviors. Parents reporting higher levels of parental monitoring and open communication were less likely to overestimate, and more likely to underestimate adolescent risk involvement. Parents of adolescents who perceived themselves as better than average in school performance and who participated in religious services were more likely to underestimate adolescents' substance use and sex. Parents of older adolescents overestimated adolescents' sexual experience. Parental overestimation at baseline generally predicted subsequent increased risk of adolescents engaging in these behaviors. Conversely, parental underestimation was associated with subsequent decreased adolescent risk involvement.

Parental underestimation and overestimation of adolescent risk involvement have implications for subsequent adolescent risk involvement. The protective association of parental underestimation and the adverse association of parental overestimation on subsequent adolescent risk involvement indicate that parenting interventions should advance beyond simply improving parent-adolescent concordance on risk behavior.