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Spoiling the Spoils: Indulgent Parenting Costs Parents’ Well-Being More When Adolescents Deny Receiving Much Indulgence

Author

Listed:
  • Peipei Hong

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Hao Wu

    (Zhejiang Hangzhou High School)

  • Qing Mei

    (Zhejiang Hangzhou High School)

  • Jie He

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Ming Cui

    (Florida State University)

Abstract

How does prioritizing children’s happiness over their own impact parents’ well-being? This study contributes to addressing this question by investigating the relationship between indulgent parenting (parenting style prioritizing children’s moment-to-moment happiness) and parents’ well-being through an interdependent, dyadic approach. We focus on the congruence and discrepancies in the perception of indulgent parenting between parents and adolescents, examining their associations with parents’ depressive symptoms and life satisfaction in two remarkably different cultures sharing the norm of child-centered, intensive parenting. Survey data were collected from 122 parent-adolescent dyads in the United States and 402 dyads in China. Using response surface analysis (RSA), we found that parents reported the most optimal well-being (the lowest levels of depressive symptoms and the highest levels of life satisfaction) when parents and adolescents agreed on low indulgence. Congruence on high indulgence was linked to more depressive symptoms and lower life satisfaction in parents. The worst well-being was reported by parents in dyads characterized by perception discrepancy, where parents reported providing high indulgence to their adolescent children while their adolescents reported receiving low indulgence from the parents. These patterns are generally consistent in both countries, but cultural variations are also identified – indulgent parenting appears to have a less negative association with the well-being of Chinese parents compared to American parents.

Suggested Citation

  • Peipei Hong & Hao Wu & Qing Mei & Jie He & Ming Cui, 2025. "Spoiling the Spoils: Indulgent Parenting Costs Parents’ Well-Being More When Adolescents Deny Receiving Much Indulgence," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:26:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s10902-024-00843-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-024-00843-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thomas Hansen, 2012. "Parenthood and Happiness: a Review of Folk Theories Versus Empirical Evidence," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 108(1), pages 29-64, August.
    2. Giulia M. Dotti Sani, 2022. "The Intrinsic Value of Childcare: Positive Returns of Childcare Time on Parents’ Well-Being and Life Satisfaction in Italy," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 1901-1921, June.
    3. Xinwen Bai & Chiahuei Wu & Rui Zheng & Xiaopeng Ren, 2011. "The Psychometric Evaluation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale Using a Nationally Representative Sample of China," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 183-197, April.
    4. Xiaorong Gu, 2021. "Parenting for Success: The Value of Children and Intensive Parenting in Post-Reform China," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(2), pages 555-581, April.
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