Parental rejection and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems: the mediating role of negative self-evaluation

Abstract

Parental rejection is associated with adolescents’ emotional and behavioral difficulties, yet the mechanisms underlying these associations remain insufficiently understood. This study examined whether negative self-evaluation mediates the associations between perceived parental rejection and adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems. A clinical sample of 265 adolescents (Mage = 14.81; range = 11–19 years) completed measures assessing maternal and paternal rejection, negative self-evaluation, and internalizing/externalizing problems. Structural equation modeling indicated that negative self-evaluation partially mediated the associations between parental rejection and adolescents’ difficulties when maternal and paternal rejection were examined separately. When both parents were included simultaneously, only paternal rejection remained significantly associated with negative self-evaluation and showed significant indirect effects on adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems. Findings emphasize the clinical relevance of maladaptive self-evaluation and parent-child relational processes in adolescent adjustment, alongside the potentially distinct role of paternal rejection.