Files
Abstract
Increased social anxiety symptoms are especially harmful during adolescence because of the critical social learning opportunities comprising this period. Although warm and controlling parenting behaviors are known predictors of social anxiety, it has also been theorized that fathers have a stronger influence on the development of social anxiety symptoms than mothers do. However, extant research is mixed in its support for this distinct father-laden pattern of effects. Therefore, the current study addressed this inconsistency by estimating the unique mother- and father-effects of warmth and control on youth social anxiety symptoms through meta-analysis. Results from the Meta-SEM model indicate that mothers’ and fathers’ warmth each predict comparably sized, but unique portions of youth social anxiety symptoms. In contrast, only fathers’ control predicted social anxiety when parents were modelled jointly. This analysis contributes to the theories undergirding the family correlates of social anxiety and highlights critical future directions for this research domain.