Predicting Early Adolescents’ Academic Achievement, Social Competence, and Physical Health From Parenting, Ego Resilience, and Engagement Coping

This study examined ego resilience and engagement coping as mediators of the relationships between supportive and controlling parenting practices and early adolescents’ academic achievement, social competence, and physical health. Participants were 240 predominantly Mexican American early adolescents, their parents, and their teachers. There were significant positive correlations between supportive parenting and ego resilience and between ego resilience and achievement, social functioning, and health. Supportive parenting was also positively related to engagement coping, which in turn was positively related to achievement and health. Controlling parenting was significantly negatively related to ego resilience but not engagement coping. As hypothesized, ego resilience mediated relationships between supportive or controlling parenting and outcomes. Engagement coping mediated relationships between supportive parenting and academic achievement and supportive parenting and physical health. Findings support the roles of ego resilience and engagement coping in positive functioning across fundamental domains of development.