Association between parenting, posttraumatic stress, and mental health in adolescents after a mega-forest fire
Association between parenting, posttraumatic stress, and mental health in adolescents after a mega-forest fire

Association between parenting, posttraumatic stress, and mental health in adolescents after a mega-forest fire

Cien Saude Colet. 2025 Aug;30(8):e05762024. doi: 10.1590/1413-81232025308.05762024. Epub 2024 Aug 5.

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to evaluate the joint or synergistic (interaction) effect of psychological control, parental knowledge, and posttraumatic stress on the mental health of adolescents who experienced a massive forest fire. A non-experimental, cross-sectional design was used to survey 292 Chilean adolescents (Mean age = 14.39, 51.6% female). The results indicate that maternal and paternal psychological control are positively associated with adolescent suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, and stress. Parental knowledge, meanwhile, shows a negative relationship with depression and anxiety, but only in the father model. Additionally, synergistic associations were observed between psychological control and posttraumatic stress due to the fire: when psychological control is high, posttraumatic stress is associated with greater suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety, whereas when psychological control is low, this association disappears. The results indicate that considering joint associations between parenting and post-traumatic stress can help us more accurately understand the complexity of mental health in the context of disasters.

PMID:40929435 | DOI:10.1590/1413-81232025308.05762024