A Network Analysis Of The Influence Of Parenting Styles,Parent-Child Reciprocity,Parents’ Emotion Regulation Strategies And Adolescents’ Emotion Regulation Strategies

Emotion regulation is the process by which individuals influence their emotions,when,and how they experience and express them.Successful emotion regulation is achieved through managing emotional experiences and expressive behaviours to moderate levels.In adolescents,the use of appropriate Emotional Regulation Strategies(ERS)is associated with better adaptation to upcoming campus life,better mental health,and acquiring attributes that will be important for enjoying the adolescent years and assuming adult roles.Studies have shown that the parent is the most significant socializing agent across one’s lifespan,which significantly influences children’s emotion regulation development.However,there still needs to be more systematic research on the relationship between parental rearing styles and adolescent emotional regulation strategies.This study used a network analysis method to investigate the relationship between parenting styles,the reciprocal relationship between parent and child,and the relationship between parents and adolescent two categories of emotional regulation strategies;Cognitive Reappraisal(CR)& Expressive Suppression(ES).The sample consisted of a total of 302 adolescents(14-19 years)drawn from 9 public schools within Nairobi county and a set of 302 parents(36-62 years).The parents’ ERS,adolescents’ ERS,and adolescents’ perceptions of parenting styles and parent-child reciprocity were studied.SPSS26.0 was used for descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis.R language was used for network analysis to explore the relationship between parenting style,parent-child reciprocity,parents’ ERS,and adolescents’ ERS.Among the findings:(1)Parents and children use cognitive reappraisal more frequently than expression suppression.There is no significant correlation between adolescents’ and parents’ emotional regulation strategies.Adolescents who perceived positive parenting styles(warmth,praise,hugs and kisses)exhibited adaptive emotional regulation strategies.In contrast,those who perceived negative parenting styles(lack of supervision,inconsistent discipline and physical punishment)exhibited poorer adaptive emotional regulation strategies.Adolescents who perceived parental involvement and mutual reciprocity also showed more adaptive emotional regulation strategies(cognitive reappraisal).The correlation between maternal involvement and adolescent emotional regulation strategies is greater than paternal involvement.The influence of parental involvement on cognitive reappraisal is stronger than on expressive suppression.(2)There are gender differences in the relationship between parental involvement and adolescent emotional regulation strategies.The correlation between male adolescents’ emotional regulation strategies and maternal involvement is stronger than that of female adolescents.(3)Positive parenting styles and high-quality parent-child reciprocity are associated with the adaptive emotional regulation of adolescents.In contrast,negative parenting styles are negatively associated with the adaptive emotional regulation of adolescents.Conclusions: In Kenya,parents’ parenting styles and parent-child reciprocity are correlated with adolescent emotion regulation strategies with cross-gender inconsistencies.The correlation between maternal involvement and adolescent emotional regulation strategies is stronger than paternal involvement.The influence of maternal involvement on male adolescents is greater than on female adolescents.Positive parenting style and high-quality parent-child reciprocity are positively correlated with adaptive emotion regulation of adolescents,while negative parenting style has the opposite effect.More targeted measures should be used to promote positive parenting styles and high-quality parent-child reciprocity in Kenyan families,focusing on the role of parental involvement in promoting emotional regulation strategies in male adolescents.Based on theoretical analysis and empirical evidence,targeted interventions should be taken in developing and promoting ERS in adolescents,focusing on male adolescents.