Adolescent personality disorder symptoms mediate the relationship between perceived parental behavior and Axis I symptomatology.

A study was conducted to investigate whether adolescent personality disorder symptoms mediate the relationship between perceived parental behavior and Axis I psychiatric symptomatology. The Parental Behavior Form, Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-Revised, and Revised Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R) were administered to 187 first-year undergraduate students during their first week of college enrollment. One hundred fifty seven participants were readministered the SCL-90-R two months later. Results of correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that: (1) Adolescents' perceptions of parental acceptance/nurturance and harsh, controlling parental behavior were associated with baseline personality disorder symptom levels. (2) Perceived harsh parental control predicted both baseline and follow-up Axis I symptomatology. (3) In turn, baseline personality disorder symptoms were associated with Axis I symptom levels, both at baseline and at follow-up assessment after baseline Axis symptoms were accounted for. (4) Perceived parental behavior did not predict baseline or subsequent Axis I symptomatology after personality disorder symptom levels were accounted for. The present findings thus indicate that personality disorder symptoms completely mediated the relationship between adolescent perceptions of harsh, controlling parental behavior and Axis I psychiatric symptomatology.