How parents treat teens affects social anxiety
Parental warmth reduces teen social anxiety, while control increases it.
Why it matters
- Parents' behavior significantly impacts adolescent social anxiety.
- Understanding these dynamics can help parents support their teens better.
The big picture
- Warmth and affection from both parents reduce social anxiety.
- Controlling behaviors, especially from mothers, increase social anxiety.
- Both mothers and fathers play crucial roles in shaping social confidence.
What they're saying
- Lead author Cullin Howard emphasizes that both parents contribute uniquely to social anxiety symptoms.
- Top comment links to the peer-reviewed journal article supporting the findings.
Caveats
- The study is a meta-analysis, so specific sample sizes and effect sizes are not provided.
- Parental behaviors and their impacts can vary widely.
What’s next
- Future research could explore why controlling mothers have a larger impact.
- More detailed studies could look into specific parenting strategies to reduce social anxiety.