From Autonomy Support to Moral Reasoning: The Mediating Role of Emotional Maturity in Adolescents

This study aimed to examine the mediating role of emotional maturity in the relationship between perceived parental autonomy support and moral reasoning among adolescents. The study utilized a descriptive correlational design involving 407 high school students aged 15 to 18 from various regions in Austria. The sample size was determined based on the Morgan and Krejcie sampling table and selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through three standardized self-report instruments: the Perceptions of Parents Scale (POPS) for autonomy support, the Emotional Maturity Scale (EMS), and the Sociomoral Reflection Measure–Short Form (SRM-SF) for moral reasoning. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS-27 and AMOS-21. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients were computed to examine the relationships among the variables. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized mediation model and assess overall model fit using standard indices such as CFI, TLI, GFI, and RMSEA. The results revealed significant positive correlations between autonomy support and emotional maturity (r = .43, p < .001), autonomy support and moral reasoning (r = .39, p < .001), and emotional maturity and moral reasoning (r = .46, p < .001). The SEM analysis confirmed good model fit (χ²/df = 2.29, CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.056), and demonstrated that emotional maturity significantly mediated the relationship between autonomy support and moral reasoning. The indirect effect of autonomy support on moral reasoning through emotional maturity was statistically significant (β = .19, p < .001), alongside a significant direct effect (β = .23, p = .003), indicating partial mediation. The findings suggest that emotional maturity serves as a significant psychological mechanism through which perceived parental autonomy support enhances adolescents’ moral reasoning. Promoting emotionally supportive and autonomy-encouraging parenting practices may be essential for fostering ethical development in youth.