Media Information
Findings so far
In a pilot study for this project, researcher, Kylie Burke surveyed 251 parents who were currently or had once parented an adolescent. She found that being able to step back from your own emotions may be a helpful strategy in parenting teenagers. For example, if parents could negotiate with their adolescent about potentially "risky" activities even when it made them feel anxious, they were more likely to retain good relationships with the adolescent and have some influence over what happens 'next time'. What's more, when parents were able to separate their emotions from their actions (a form of 'psychological flexibility') in situations like this, they reported parenting as more satisfying and rewarding and felt more motivated and capable about their ability to parent.The next step in the research is to find out if this approach also has benefits for the wellbeing of teenagers. Does parental 'psychological flexibility' create better relationships between parents and children? Does it promote children's ability to manage their own emotions?
Media enquiries
All media enquiries should be directed to Kylie Burke atDownload the Media Release "Parenting Adolescents: Can you keep your cool?"