A Latent Transition Analysis of Parental Involvement: Examining Family-Related Predictors and Adolescent Behavioral Consequences

Background and Purpose: Parental involvement is a critical influence on adolescent development, yet it is often studied as a static and unidimensional construct. In achievement-oriented cultures such as China, where educational pressure is intense, there remains limited understanding of how parental involvement evolves over time across multiple domains, and how family-level factors shape these changes. This study addresses these gaps by: (1) identifying latent profiles of parental involvement (educational, emotional, and leisure) among Chinese adolescents in Grades 7 and 8; (2) examining transitions between these profiles over time; (3) investigating how parental educational expectations, occupational aspirations, and marital relationship quality predict profile transitions; and (4) assessing how these profiles and their transitions influence adolescent psychological and behavioral outcomes.

Methods: Data for this study were drawn from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), a nationally representative longitudinal dataset. CEPS employed a stratified multi-stage probability sampling design, in which 438 classes were selected from 112 schools across 28 counties in China. To examine changes in parental involvement over time, we integrated data from two survey waves (2013–2014 and 2014–2015), and only participants who took part in both waves were included in the final sample. The final analytic sample consisted of 6,899 students (Mean age = 12.51, SD = 0.68), of whom 49.7% were girls. This study employed a person-centered analytic strategy, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was conducted at two time points (T1 = Grade 7; T2 = Grade 8) to identify parental involvement profiles. Latent Transition Analysis (LTA) was used to examine changes in these profiles over time. Multinomial logistic regressions explored the predictive roles of family-related variables—parental educational expectations, occupational aspirations, and marital relationship quality—on profile membership and transitions. Regression analyses further assessed the impact of profile membership on adolescent outcomes, including depressive symptoms, prosocial behavior, and antisocial behavior, while controlling for key demographic variables (gender, household registration status, migration background, only-child status, and parental education).

Results: Four consistent parental involvement profiles were identified across both time points: Low Educational–High Companionship, Balanced Engagement, Low Educational–Low Interactive, and High Educational–Active Interaction. Transitions between profiles were common, revealing the dynamic nature of parental involvement. Higher educational expectations predicted transitions toward more engaged profiles, particularly Balanced Engagement and High Educational–Active Interaction. Marital relationship quality also shaped transitions, with higher quality predicting stability in optimal profiles and poor marital functioning associated with membership in less favorable ones. Adolescents in the Balanced Engagement and High Educational–Active Interaction profiles exhibited significantly fewer depressive symptoms, more prosocial behaviors, and fewer antisocial behaviors than those in the Low Educational–Low Interactive group.

Conclusions and Implications: This study demonstrates the utility of a person-centered approach in capturing these complexities and provides strong empirical support for integrating educational, emotional, and leisure dimensions into parenting interventions. Promoting balanced involvement, fostering healthy marital relationships, and guiding realistic yet aspirational parental expectations may significantly enhance adolescent psychological and behavioral adjustment.