Parenting in Moments: An Ecological Momentary Assessment of Parenting and Adolescent Substance Use and Externalizing Behaviors

ABSTRACT A large body of traditional survey and lab‐based research has found that parenting behaviors are associated with risk for substance use (SU) and externalizing symptoms in adolescents. It is presumed that parenting effects on adolescent SU and symptoms unfold within families over moments in everyday life. However, this has rarely been tested. The present ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study tested within‐person momentary associations among parenting, adolescent emotional and reward arousal, and SU and externalizing symptoms. Eighty‐four 14–18 year olds completed five surveys per day for 28 days, reporting on parenting (negative parenting, parental warmth, and parental structure), negative emotional and reward arousal, and their SU and externalizing symptoms. Results of multi‐level models found that momentary within‐person increases in negative parenting and decreases in parental warmth were associated with greater within‐person concurrent adolescent SU and next timepoint externalizing symptoms. Momentary within‐person increases in negative parenting and decreases in warmth were also associated with within‐person adolescent increased negative emotional arousal (particularly for girls) and blunted reward arousal. Momentary within‐person increases in negative emotional arousal were associated with within‐person increases in next timepoint externalizing symptoms, particularly for boys. Interestingly, findings for parental structure were different from other forms of parenting, with lower within‐person structure associated with lower symptoms. Overall, this study extended prior between‐person survey and laboratory research by identifying that parenting in moments in daily life may lead to arousal and momentary risk for adolescent substance use and acting out behaviors, supporting the development of momentary parenting interventions to prevent SU and symptoms.