Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Substance abuse has become a major concern in the Western Cape Province of South Africa as it devastates many lives and negatively influences families and communities. When there is a substance-abusing sibling in the family, the wellbeing of other family members and non-substance abusing siblings tends to be neglected. This may mean that families could grapple with parental autonomy support to meet the psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness of the non-substance abusing siblings within the family. However, prior to this study, there was scant insight into the perceptions and experiences of adolescents living with a substance-using sibling regarding parental autonomy support.

Autonomy is a critical component of early childhood with important implications for children’s competence and well-being (e.g., Erikson, 1963; Mahler, Pine & Bergman, 1975; Sroufe & Rutter, 1984). Although parental autonomy support is associated with the development of early autonomy (e.g., Endsley, Hutcherson, Garner & Martin, 1979; Frodi, Bridges & Grolnick, 1985; Landry, Smith, Swank & Miller-Loncar, 2000), the mechanisms underlying these associations are largely unexplored. Mothers’ emotions and the affective climate of parent-child interactions may be critical factors by which parenting influences early autonomy. This study (a) examined the degree to which discrete, naturally occurring maternal emotions regulate four indicators of autonomy during toddlerhood: co-regulated goal-directed behavior, low aimlessness, self-assertion, and positive initiative, (b) explored mechanisms through which maternal emotion exerts an influence on children’s autonomous behaviors, and (c) isolated the contribution of mothers’ emotions to children’s autonomous behaviors over that of mothers’ autonomy-supportive behavior. Several important findings emerged. First, maternal emotions, both felt and expressed, were related to children’s autonomous behaviors--mostly in ways predicted by emotion and relationship theories. In general, mothers’ frequent joy and infrequent anger, sadness, and fear predicted high autonomy. Second, the affective climate of mothers’ interactions with their toddlers predicted children’s autonomous behaviors over and above mothers’ autonomy-supportive behavior, suggesting that parental emotion is a unique aspect of autonomy support. Finally, different forms of early autonomy were predicted by different emotions in mothers, emphasizing the complexity of autonomy and the need to better define and measure this construct. / text

No description available.

Thèse de doctorat présentée en vue de l'obtention du doctorat en psychologie - recherche intervention, option psychologie clinique (Ph.D) / Parmi les déterminants environnementaux, les pratiques parentales représentent le facteur de prédiction de la santé mentale des enfants le plus largement accepté dans la littérature (Holte et al., 2014). Il est intéressant que le soutien à l’autonomie (SA) représente l’une des trois composantes clés du parentage optimal. Alors que les bienfaits de la satisfaction du besoin d’autonomie seraient, selon la théorie de l’autodétermination (TAD ; Ryan et Deci, 2017), universels, des différences fondamentales existent en ce qui concerne les pratiques parentales à travers les cultures (Lehman et al., 2004). Étant donné que la relation parent-enfant représente un type de relation hiérarchique, la variable de la hiérarchie culturelle (HC) s’avère particulièrement pertinente. La HC met l’accent sur la reconnaissance et le respect de l’autorité (Schwartz, 1994, 2008). Composée de deux études empiriques, la présente thèse tente de faire un pas de plus dans la réflexion concernant la généralisation interculturelle des bénéfices du SA parental. L’étude 1 repose sur deux banques de données transversales, recueillies auprès de participants présentant une large variabilité culturelle. L’objectif était d’explorer les associations entre la HC, le SA parental et les indicateurs d’ajustement psychosocial des jeunes et d’examiner si la HC joue un rôle modérateur dans l’association entre le SA parental et l’ajustement psychosocial des jeunes. Les résultats indiquent que plus le niveau de HC des parents est faible, plus leur niveau de SA est élevé. Alors que le SA parental est associé positivement aux indicateurs de bien-être (p.ex., satisfaction de vie) et négativement aux difficultés (p.ex., symptômes), les résultats n’ont révélé aucune modération par la HC, à l’exception de la relation entre le SA parental et la régulation autonome des adolescents. L’étude 2 a utilisé des données provenant d’une étude expérimentale mesurant les effets de l’atelier parental How to talk so kids will listen & listen so kids will talk (Faber & Mazlish, 1980; 2000) afin d’évaluer si le niveau de HC des parents modère les effets (ou l’absence d’effets) de l’atelier sur les pratiques parentales et la santé mentale des enfants. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats suggèrent un impact généralement indifférencié sur les pratiques parentales et sur la santé mentale des enfants, et ce, en ayant réalisé une multitude de tests (effets sur le SA, l’affiliation, et le cadre des parents, rapportés par les parents et les enfants, de même que le bien-être et les symptômes des enfants). Les effets précédemment documentés de l’atelier ne diffèrent donc généralement pas selon l’identité ethnique des parents. Parmi l’ensemble des tests réalisés, la seule exception concerne le SA tel que perçu par les enfants. En somme, les deux études ont porté sur le rôle potentiellement modérateur de la HC dans la relation entre les pratiques parentales soutenant l’autonomie et divers indicateurs de santé mentale chez les jeunes. De manière générale, les patrons de résultats suggèrent que les jeunes dont les parents favorisent davantage leur autonomie ont tendance à présenter de meilleurs niveaux d’ajustement psychosocial et ce, indépendamment du niveau de HC lié à l’ethnicité de leurs parents. De plus, les résultats ont montré que l’atelier évalué a un impact similaire sur les pratiques parentales et la santé mentale des enfants, quelle que soit l'ethnicité des parents qui y ont participé. Ces résultats soutiennent de manière générale la position de la TAD sur les bénéfices universels du SA. / Among the environmental determinants, parental practices represent the most widely accepted predictor of children's mental health in the literature (Holte et al., 2014). Interestingly, autonomy support (AS) represents one of the three key components of optimal parenting. While the benefits of satisfying the need for autonomy are believed to be universal according to Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017), fundamental differences exist in parental practices across cultures (Lehman et al., 2004). Given that the parent-child relationship represents a hierarchical type of relationship, the cultural hierarchy variable (CH) is particularly relevant. CH emphasizes the recognition and respect for authority (Schwartz, 1994, 2008). Comprised of two empirical studies, this thesis attempted to further explore the intercultural generalization of the benefits of parental AS. Study 1 relied on two cross-sectional databases collected from participants with a wide cultural variability. The aim was to explore the associations between CH, parental AS, and indicators of young individuals' psychosocial adjustment, and to examine whether CH plays a moderating role in the association between parental AS and young individuals' psychosocial adjustment. The results indicate that lower levels of CH among parents are associated with higher levels of AS. While parental AS is positively associated with well-being indicators (e.g., life satisfaction) and negatively associated with difficulties (e.g., symptoms), the results revealed no moderation by CH except for the relationship between parental AS and adolescents’ autonomous regulation. Study 2 utilized data from an experimental study measuring the effects of the parenting program How to talk so kids will listen & listen so kids will talk (Faber & Mazlish, 1980, 2000) to assess whether parents’ level of CH moderates the effects (or lack thereof) of the program on parenting and children’s mental health. Overall, the results suggest a generally undifferentiated impact on parenting and children’s mental health, even after conducting multiple tests (effects on AS, affiliation, and structure, as reported by parents and children, as well as children’s well-being and symptoms). The previously documented effects of the program generally do not differ based on parents’ ethnic identity. Among all the tests conducted, the only exception concerns AS as perceived by children. In summary, both studies focused on the potentially moderating role of CH in the relationship between autonomy-supportive parenting practices and various indicators of mental health in young individuals. Overall, the pattern of results suggests that youths whose parents promote their autonomy tend to exhibit better levels of psychosocial adjustment, regardless of the level of CH associated with their parents’ ethnicity. Furthermore, the results showed that the evaluated parental program has a similar impact on parenting and children’s mental health, regardless of the ethnicity of the participating parents. These findings generally support the position of SDT regarding the universal benefits of AS.