Barroso-Diaz, Sira , NIETO CASADO, FRANCISCO JAVIER, Antolin-Suarez, Lucia
No
Curr. Psychol.
Article
Científica
2
1
24/08/2026
001857155300001
Raising adolescents with mental health problems places considerable demands on parents, potentially compromising their well-being and family functioning. Experiential avoidance has been linked to increased psychological distress and maladaptive parenting practices. However, its specific role in families of adolescents with mental health difficulties-and the mechanisms through which it operates-remains underexplored. This study examined differences in experiential avoidance according to parents' gender, age, and socioeconomic status, and analyzed its relationship with psychological distress in both parents and adolescents, with a focus on the potential mediating role of parental stress. Participants included 219 parents (M = 48.72 years) and their adolescent (n = 214; M = 14.43 years), who were receiving care in public mental health services. Exploratory analyses indicated that experiential avoidance of parents did not differ significantly across parental sociodemographic variables. However, the structural equation model revealed a significant association with parental psychological distress, both directly and indirectly via parental stress. No significant associations were found between experiential avoidance of parents and adolescents' psychological distress. These findings underscore the importance of experiential avoidance as a pivotal psychological process in parental adjustment, thereby supporting its inclusion as a target in interventions aimed at promoting caregiver well-being. Furthermore, if replicated in larger and more balanced samples, the lack of sociodemographic differences may support the potential applicability of such interventions across diverse parental profiles. Future research, employing longitudinal designs, increasing the inclusion of fathers, utilizing multimethod assessment strategies, and incorporating sociocultural factors, is recommended.
Experiential avoidance; Parental stress; Adolescent mental health; Parental psychological distress; Acceptance and commitment therapy