The mediating role of value‐driven decision‐making in the association between relationship quality and internalizing experiences

Objective The goal was to determine if autonomy development plays a mediating role in the relationship between maternal–adolescent relationship quality and adolescent internalizing experiences. Background An extensive body of previous research has established that maternal–adolescent relationship quality and autonomy development both have a positive impact on mental health outcomes for adolescents, yet little is known about the way in which these factors may operate in sequence to influence one another. Method Using a structural equation modeling design with data from the Flourishing Families study, this study explored the mediating role of adolescent autonomous value‐driven decision‐making at Wave 5 in the relationship between maternal–adolescent relationship quality at Wave 4 and adolescent internalizing experiences at Wave 6. Results Our results indicated that higher levels of maternal–adolescent relationship quality at Wave 4 were significantly associated with lower levels of adolescent depression at Wave 6 via the mediating pathway of autonomous value‐driven decision‐making at Wave 5. No significant indirect effects were detected to adolescent anxiety. Conclusion Autonomy development plays an important role in mediating the association between adolescent–maternal relationship quality and adolescent internalizing experiences. Implications Clinicians and family life educators can support adolescent well‐being through a focus on increasing autonomy‐supportive parenting.