Profiles of Autonomy Support and Controlling Parenting: Mixing the Two Predicts Lower Child-Perceived Autonomy Support

Despite the well-documented developmental benefits and costs of autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting, little is known about the extent to which parents engage in both types of parenting in real life and its implications for child functioning. This study aimed to examine how combinations of these two seemingly opposite parenting dimensions may contribute to children's perceptions of parenting and developmental outcomes. To this end, we used a data set pooled from six independent samples, involving 3,843 Canadian parents (M-age = 41; 68% mothers) to identify profiles of parenting, using parent-reported autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviors. Parent profiles were then associated with child-perceived parenting and child outcomes, as well as parent-related predictors. A latent profile analysis found four profiles of parents: In most cases, autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviors covaried, most parents simultaneously exhibiting comparable levels of these two parenting dimensions, while only 17% of the parents reported engaging predominantly in autonomy support. This subgroup of parents was perceived by their children to be most autonomy-supportive; their children also showed better school grades and fewer externalizing problems. High-earning and highly educated parents tended to be predominantly autonomy-supportive, while parents whose self-worth was tied to their child's success (i.e., ego-involved parents) tended to resort predominantly to controlling parenting. Finally, we found that when controlling parenting is present, parents and children greatly differ in their assessments of autonomy support, with children perceiving less parental autonomy support than parents' self-reports. These findings shed light on the implications of pairing controlling with autonomy-supportive behaviors within a single parenting style.