Parenting in the Shadow of Conflict: Trauma, Mental Health, and Resilience Pathways Among Adolescents in Syria

Abstract

Parenting is a cornerstone of adolescent mental health, yet little is known about its dynamics in post-conflict settings where trauma and resource depletion reshape family systems. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory, the intergenerational trauma framework, and Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources theory, this study investigates how parenting practices mediate adolescent outcomes in Damascus, Syria. A total of 182 parents of adolescents (ages 13–18) identified by schools as exhibiting behavioral concerns completed validated measures of parenting (democratic/authoritative discipline, autonomy support, emotional warmth, punitive discipline, anxious intrusiveness, permissiveness) and adolescent emotional/behavioral difficulties. Results revealed that parenting practices were stronger predictors of adolescent mental health than sociodemographic factors such as paternal education and socioeconomic status. Punitive and anxious-intrusive parenting correlated strongly with adolescent anxiety, depression, and oppositional behavior, while democratic and autonomy-supportive parenting showed protective effects. Emotional warmth offered moderate buffering. These findings advance a trauma-informed ecological framework positioning parenting as the key mediator between conflict-related adversity and adolescent mental health. We argue that trauma-informed parenting support must be central to humanitarian recovery agendas, aligning with WHO’s mhGAP, UNICEF’s Parenting in Emergencies, and the Sustainable Development Goals on health, education, and peace.