Theory for How Parental Monitoring Changes Youth Behavior

Low parental monitoring is a well-established risk factor for and presumed cause of teen problem behavior. However, an integrated theory for how monitoring changes teen behavior has not been articulated. We propose a model in which parental monitoring can reduce teen misbehavior via nine mechanisms organized into behavior-management (B), context-control (C), and relationship/support-mediated (R) domains (BCR Model). Parental monitoring increases the expectation and actual occurrence of punishment for misbehavior (B), enables the parent to steer the teens' socialization contexts (peers, non-parent adults, siblings, media) away from those that encourage misbehavior (C), and strengthens the teen's bond to parent, disclosure of information, and receipt of social support (R)-all of which in turn reduce misbehavior.