Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Sep;34(3):912-927.
doi: 10.1111/jora.12970. Epub 2024 May 15.

A mixed-methods exploration of autonomy-supportive parenting, confidence, and natural mentoring relationships among Black adolescents

Bianka M Charity-Parker  1 , Janelle T Billingsley  2 , Nancy L Deutsch  3 , Noelle M Hurd  4
Affiliations

A mixed-methods exploration of autonomy-supportive parenting, confidence, and natural mentoring relationships among Black adolescents

Bianka M Charity-Parker et al. J Res Adolesc. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

The current study examined whether autonomy-supportive parenting practices may be associated with Black adolescents' quantity of natural mentors (i.e., adults from youths' everyday lives who youth go to for support and guidance) via adolescents' confidence. This study employed survey data from 216 Black youth and qualitative interviews from a subsample of youth (n = 25), their primary caregivers (n = 25), and one nonparental adult relative with whom the youth reported feeling close (n = 25). Comparative analyses were then completed among a subset of 10 family triads corresponding to youth from the qualitative subsample who had the highest (n = 5) and the lowest (n = 5) scores on a survey measure of adolescents' confidence. Study findings suggest that Black adolescents' confidence may be an explanatory link in the association between autonomy-supportive parenting practices among primary caregivers and Black adolescents' quantity of natural mentoring relationships. Moreover, we found that a range of autonomy-supportive parenting practices may be associated with youth confidence, which may, in turn, inform how Black adolescents engage with adults in their social networks.

Keywords: Black families; adolescence; mixed methods; natural mentoring relationships; parenting.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Allen, J. P., McElhaney, K. B., Land, D. J., Kuperminc, G. P., Moore, C. W., O'Beirne‐Kelly, H., & Kilmer, S. L. (2003). A secure base in adolescence: Markers of attachment security in the mother–adolescent relationship. Child Development, 74(1), 292–307.
    1. Arbeit, M. R., Johnson, H. E., Grabowska, A. A., Mauer, V. A., & Deutsch, N. L. (2021). Leveraging relational metaphors: An analysis of non‐parental adult roles in response to youth needs. Youth & Society, 53(1), 104–130.
    1. Arbona, C., & Power, T. G. (2003). Parental attachment, self‐esteem, and antisocial behaviors among African American, European American, and Mexican American adolescents. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50(1), 40–51.
    1. Benito‐Gomez, M., Williams, K. N., McCurdy, A., & Fletcher, A. C. (2020). Autonomy‐supportive parenting in adolescence: Cultural variability in the contemporary United States. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 12(1), 7–26.
    1. Billingsley, A. (1968). Black families in white America. Prentice‐Hall.

LinkOut - more resources