Loes Keijsers, Savannah Boele, Anne Bülow
Abstract Parents can promote adolescents’ well-being and adjustment by providing warmth, supporting autonomy, and regulating thoroughly. Are these parenting practices universally beneficial or do they have unique effects on individual adolescents? Recent intensive longitudinal studies (e.g., daily diaries) suggest that parental warmth and autonomy support are related to positive outcomes in most youth. However, opposing effects (i.e., effects that are unexpected theoretically or that contrast with what is commonly found) occur in a few individuals and in specific situations, and may emerge only after a while. In this article, we present a new conceptual model, which can guide researchers in understanding more thoroughly why, for whom, when, and how parenting processes are universal or unique. These insights, which can be obtained through family-specific research, are crucial for informing both universal and tailored parenting interventions.