title: Parental autonomy support and honesty: the mediating role of identification with the honesty value and perceived costs and benefits of honesty.
abstract: Previous research emphasizes the importance of honesty (or the absence of lying) in adolescent-parent communication as it is ultimately linked to adolescent non-delinquency (Engels, Finkenauer, & van Kooten, 2006). Empirical evidence also suggests that positive parental practices may prevent adolescents' lying (Darling, Cumsille, Caldwell, & Dowdy, 2006; Jensen, Arnett, Feldman, & Cauffman, 2004). This study tests an integrated model where perceived parental autonomy support and controlling parenting are expected to have opposite effects on adolescent's honesty in the parent-adolescent relationship via differential identification to the honesty value and perceived costs/benefits of being honest. Using structural equation modeling, results from 167 parent-adolescent dyads showed that autonomy support was associated with adolescents' identification to the honesty value and perceived low costs/high benefits of honesty. Opposite relations were observed with controlling parenting. Higher honesty value identification and low costs/high benefits of honesty in turn predicted adolescents' honesty. The importance of autonomy-supportive parenting in creating honest family settings is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3J7, Canada. Electronic address: juliensbureau@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Julien S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bureau
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3J7, Canada.
authors.forename: Geneviève A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Mageau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003142:Communication; D008192:Deception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D035502:Trust
keywords: Autonomy support; Costs and benefits; Early adolescents; Honesty; Identification; Selfdetermination