Parenting specificity in the associations between daily parenting lability and adolescent maladaptation

Scant research has explored short-term relations between daily parenting lability, which describes day-to-day fluctuations in parenting behaviors, and adolescent maladaptation, including externalizing and internalizing problems. This study used month-long daily diary data, collected between April 2019 to September 2020, from parents (n = 2,364 observations) and adolescents (n = 2,131 observations) in a sample of 93 Canadian adolescents (Mage = 14.5 years, 54.8% female, 45.2% non-White) and one of their parents (Mage = 43.8 years, 72.8% female, 39.8% non-White). Results suggest that daily lability in psychological control and non-harsh discipline was particularly associated with adolescent externalizing problems based on parent reports. These findings unveiled evidence supporting parenting specificity, with significant daily associations between parenting lability and adolescent maladaptation -primarily emerging in parent reports.