The findings, from the Institute for Family Studies and Gallup, come amid a nationwide mental health crisis among youth, stemming partly from the aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IFS/Gallup report found that “the most important factor in the mental health of adolescent children is the quality of the relationship with their caregivers.” The key driver is parents who have an “authoritative” style that combines “affection and attentiveness to children’s needs with structure and requirements for pro-social, responsible behavior.”
In contrast, liberal parents are more likely to have a permissive parenting style and “are the least likely to successfully discipline their children.”
The report concluded; “Conservative parents enjoy higher quality relationships with their children, characterized by fewer arguments, more warmth, and a stronger bond, according to both parent and child reporting.”
The report’s author Jonathan Rothwell, a principal economist at Gallup and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said in a statement: “The results of our report should be seen as empowering parents to play the lead role in guiding their children to healthy psychological development. Their actions, judgments, and relationships are key to their teen’s mental health.”
The report also found that household income, parental education, and race and ethnicity are largely unrelated to the mental health outcomes for teens.