Detachment from parents, problem behaviors, and the moderating role of parental support among Italian adolescents

Abstract

Abstract This study examined the relationship of emotional detachment from parents, parental support and problem behaviors, and focused on the unique and common contribution that detachment and parental support made to internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. A total of 461 young adolescents, 13 to 14 years old (M = 13.4; SD = .44), 234 boys and 227 girls, completed self-reporting measures of detachment, parental support, and internalizing and externalizing problems. Data showed that detachment was related positively to internalizing problem behaviors. Results revealed that parental support played a moderating role in the relationship between detachment and internalizing problems, such that, at higher levels of detachment, internalizing problems tended to be lower when parental support was high.