Work

Practice what we theorize: reciprocity, timing, and heterogeneity in parenting adolescents research

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Theories describe parenting processes in adolescence as reciprocal, timing-sensitive, and heterogeneous; however, these meta-theoretical principles are often not carried through into research designs. Despite earlier calls to bridge such theory – method gaps, they continue to pervade contemporary studies. Building on these earlier efforts, I explain why several gaps persist and highlight recent studies that align more closely with these theoretical principles. Their findings show that within-family associations between parenting and adolescent functioning are not solely parent-driven, unfold differently across timescales, and vary meaningfully across families. I end with methodological recommendations to further bridge these gaps, including modelling time-lagged effects, using micro-randomized trials, treating effects as timescale-sensitive, systematically examining heterogeneity, identifying generalizable patterns via bottom-up approaches, and adopting dynamic systems approaches. A closer match between theory and methods will ultimately yield more valid conclusions and evidence-based interventions.

Source: European Journal of Developmental Psychology

DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2026.2713431

Author: Savannah Boele

Institution: Erasmus University Rotterdam

Language: English

Topic: Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: European Research Council

Award: G636396589