Cultivation and Enabling Effects of Social Support and Self-Efficacy in Parent-Child Dyads

Anna Banik; Karolina Zarychta; Nina Knoll; Aleksandra Luszczynska

doi:10.1093/abm/kaab004

Cultivation and Enabling Effects of Social Support and Self-Efficacy in Parent-Child Dyads

Ann Behav Med. 2021 Nov 18;55(12):1198-1210. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaab004.

Authors

Anna Banik¹, Karolina Zarychta¹, Nina Knoll², Aleksandra Luszczynska^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Wroclaw Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wroclaw, Poland.
² Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Education and Psychology, Berlin, Germany.
³ National Institute for Human Resilience, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Abstract

Background: There are two alternative mechanisms, elucidating the reciprocal relationship between self-efficacy and social support when explaining health outcomes: self-efficacy beliefs may operate as the establisher of social support (the cultivation model) or social support may enable the formation of self-efficacy beliefs (the enabling model).

Purpose: In line with the cultivation hypothesis, it was tested if self-efficacy (measured in parents and children) would indirectly predict parental and child moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), via the mediator, social support (parent-provided, child-received). In line with the enabling hypothesis, it was tested if social support would predict MVPA indirectly, via the mediator, self-efficacy.

Methods: A total of 879 parent-child dyads (1758 individuals; 52.4% girls, aged 5-11 years old, 83.2% mothers) provided self-reports at the baseline (T1) and the 7- to 8-month follow-up (T2). Body weight and height were measured objectively. Manifest path analyses were performed, controlling for the baseline levels of the mediator and dependent variables.

Results: A similar number of significant simple indirect effects was found for the cultivation and the enabling model. Across the models, the indirect effects followed similar patterns: (a) within-individual indirect effects in children; (b) across-individual indirect effects, with the independent variable measured in children and the mediator/dependent variables measured in parents (e.g., child self-efficacy predicted parental support provision and, indirectly, parental MVPA); (c) across-individual indirect effects, accounting for self-efficacy and MVPA measured in children, combined with parental reports of social support.

Conclusions: The findings provide support for both cultivation and enabling models in the context of MVPA among parent-child dyads.

Keywords: Child; Dyads; Parent; Physical activity; Self-efficacy; Social support.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Male
Parent-Child Relations
Parents*
Self Efficacy*
Self Report
Social Support

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding