The Effects of Parental Monitoring on Adolescent and Emerging Adult Contribution: A Longitudinal Examination

The purpose of this study was to explore empirical associations between parental monitoring and for the first time contribution to self, family and community, as outcome of positive youth development, across time among Lithuanian youth. Data for this study are drawn from the first two available waves of an ongoing longitudinal Positive Youth Development research project (POSIDEV), conducted in Lithuania. The sample size for this study was N = 1098 (54.5 % girls and 45.5 % boys). Measurements used: parental monitoring scale and three-dimensional contribution scale. Results indicated that parental monitoring at Time 1 predicted all components of contribution: to self (β =.37, p<.001), to family (β =.49, p<.001) and to community (β =.23, p<.001) at Time 2. Results also indicated that parental monitoring is more strongly related to contribution in emerging adults group than in adolescents group. To conclude, results of current two-wave study highlighted the importance of the parental monitoring on the outcomes of positive youth development one year later