The interaction among household chaos, parental rejection, and parental control in predicting adolescent executive function.

The present study examines the interaction between household chaos, parental control, and parental rejection/acceptance (i.e., warmth) in predicting adolescent executive function (EF) skills in a diverse sample. We tested a three-way interaction to understand the direct and interactive effects of household chaos, parental control, and parental rejection/acceptance on adolescent EF within a short-term longitudinal study design. Participants were 14- to 15-year-olds and their parents (n = 220 mother-adolescent dyads, n = 139 father-adolescent dyads, 48% females) from approximately equal numbers of African American (34%), Hispanic American (36%), and European American (29%) U.S. families. Mothers, fathers, and adolescents completed interviews and questionnaires, and adolescents completed EF tasks of cognitive control. Better adolescent EF was predicted by lower level household chaos, but no main effects of adolescent perceptions of control or rejection on adolescent EF were observed. For mothers, only a three-way interaction emerged among controlling behavior, rejection, and household chaos: Among mothers who showed higher levels of rejection (i.e., low warmth) toward their adolescents, the negative association between controlling behavior and adolescent EF was significant in more chaotic households. In contrast, no association between maternal controlling behavior and adolescent EF emerged in less chaotic households regardless of the extent of maternal rejection. When multiple risk factors such as maternal rejection and household chaos coexist, the detrimental impact of maternal controlling behavior on adolescent EF becomes pronounced. No similar effect emerged for fathers, suggesting that these processes may be specific to the mother-adolescent relationship. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Duke Scholars

Author Kenneth A. Dodge Sanford School of Public Policy

Author Ann Skinner  

Author Jennifer Lansford Sanford School of Public Policy