Autonomy Thwarting Parenting and Mental Health Outcomes among Sexual Minority Youth: A Self-Determination Approach

What role does autonomy support in parenting play in influencing mental health outcomes among sexual minority youth? This study sought to investigate this relationship among a sample of 293 sexual minority youth by evaluating whether there was an association between autonomy thwarting parenting (ATP) behaviors and mental health outcomes. This study looked at three primary mental health outcomes: depressive symptomatology, loneliness, and number of mental health impairment days. Correlational analyses showed that greater ATP behaviors were significantly positively associated with both depressive symptoms and loneliness, though effects were small. No significant association was present between ATP and number of mental health impairment days. Potential explanations are discussed, including the role of peers and minority stress variables in accounting for the disparate mental health outcomes among sexual minority youth