Congruence and Incongruence in Father,Mother,and Adolescent Reports of Parental Monitoring: Examining the Links With Antisocial Behaviors

Abstract

This study examined the level of congruence and incongruence between fathers’, mothers’, and adolescents’ perceptions of parental monitoring in relation to the adolescents’ antisocial behaviors. A sample of 163 father-mother-adolescent triads (59.5% girls; $\overline{X}$ age = 12.35) filled out separate questionnaires assessing the dimensions of parental monitoring (i.e., parental knowledge, adolescent self-disclosure, parental control, and parental solicitation) and the adolescents also reported on the frequency of their antisocial behaviors. Polynomial regression analyses revealed that the higher the level of congruence between the father’s and/or mother’s and adolescent’s perceptions, the less the adolescent tended to present antisocial behaviors. Some results differed according to the parents’ gender. Incongruence between mothers’ and adolescents’ perceptions of parental knowledge was associated with higher levels of antisocial behaviors, whereas congruence between fathers’ and adolescents’ perceptions of parental knowledge showed a nonlinear relationship with these behaviors. These results shed light on how parental monitoring contributes to adolescent functioning.