The contribution of compassionate and uncompassionate parenting to adolescent self-compassion and internalizing problems: A meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach

This meta-analysis synthesized findings from 122 independent samples to investigate the contribution of parenting to adolescents’ self-compassion and the mediation role of self-compassion in the well-established link between parenting and internalizing problems. Results of three-level meta-analyses showed that compassionate parenting was correlated with higher adolescent self-compassion (r = .28), whereas uncompassionate parenting was associated with lower self-compassion (r = -.23). Cultural indicators were tested as potential moderators. Although no significant moderation effect of Hofstede’s individualism index was found for associations between two types of parenting and self-compassion, heritage significantly moderated the positive link between compassionate parenting and self-compassion. Specifically, this positive association was stronger in samples of Asian descent than those of European descent. This meta-analysis also revealed differential associations between parenting and two dimensions of self-compassion, demonstrating the necessity to examine these two dimensions (i.e., self-warmth and self-coldness) as distinct constructs. Results of the meta-analytic structural equation modeling showed that both compassionate and uncompassionate parenting were linked to internalizing problems through adolescent self-compassion, illustrating self-compassion as an important mediating mechanism. Findings provided essential implications for counselors working with parents and adolescents and suggested possible ways of alleviating adolescents’ internalizing problems.