Provided and received positive and negative social control, relationship satisfaction, and sedentary behavior in parent-child dyads.

BACKGROUND

The close relationship processes and health model and the dyadic health influence model posit that relationship beliefs (eg, relationship satisfaction) and influence strategies (eg, provision and receipt of positive and negative social control) mediate health behavior change. However, evidence for such mediation in parent-child dyads is limited.

PURPOSE

Two complementary mediation hypotheses were tested: (1) social control forms indirect relationships with sedentary behavior (SB), via relationship satisfaction acting as a mediator; and (2) relationship satisfaction forms indirect relationships with SB, with social control operating as a mediator.

METHODS

Data from 247 parent-child dyads (9- to 15-year-old children) were analyzed using manifest mediation models. SB was measured with GT3X-BT accelerometers at Time 1 (T1; baseline) and Time 3 (T3; 8-month follow-up). Relationship satisfaction and social control were assessed at T1 and Time 2 (T2; 2-month follow-up). Path analysis models, controlling for baseline SB, were fit.

RESULTS

Received positive control (children, T1) was associated with higher relationship satisfaction in both children and parents (T2), which in turn were related to lower and higher parental SB at T3, respectively. Provided positive control (parents; T1) was related to higher SB (T3) in children. Relationship satisfaction among children (T1) predicted higher levels of received positive and negative control (children, T2).

CONCLUSIONS

Provided and received positive social control may form direct and indirect associations with SB in parent-child dyads. Future research may need to consider further subtypes of positive control, which may explain the divergent effects of this form of control on SB.