Adolescent Social Competence: Effects of Parent Emotion Socialization and Adolescent Emotion Regulation

Social competence has implications for academic and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence, a developmental stage marked by novel social and emotional experiences. Research in early and middle childhood samples indicates that parent emotion socialization is related to children's social competence through children's emotion regulation, with a dearth of studies examining this model in adolescence. The present study examined parent emotion socialization in adolescence in relation to adolescent social competence, exploring adolescent emotion regulation as a mediator. Participants were 167 adolescents (M = 14.56 years, SD = 1.34; 65.7% cisgender boys) and their parents (59% fathers), who were largely European American and college educated. Parents and adolescents completed standardized questionnaires as part of an online study. Adolescents' perception of parents' unsupportive responses to their negative emotions related to poorer adolescent emotion regulation, which in turn related to poorer adolescent social competence. Similar effects were present with mothers and fathers. Parent emotion socialization continues to be relevant for socioemotional adjustment during adolescence.