Two additional hypotheses guided our analyses. First, the current study found that fathers’ behaviors were associated with adolescent adjustment above and beyond mothers’ parenting behavior, which underscores both the unique contribution of fathers to adolescent adjustment and the methodological importance of controlling for mother effects in fatherhood studies (Pleck, 2010). Results partially supported our hypothesis that mothering would moderate the associations between fathering and adolescent adjustment. We hypothesized that adolescents would show better adjustment when both parents displayed positive parenting behaviors and poorer adolescent adjustment when both parents displayed harsh parenting. Moderation was found in the majority of models, and was found for all five fathering dimensions when using adolescent reported outcomes. This suggests that associations between fathering and adolescent outcomes may be best understood in the context of the parenting behavior of the mother. Our findings demonstrate that when both parents discipline together, the adolescent shows better adjustment than when only one parent disciplines. When both mothers and stepfathers show high acceptance, adolescents in stepfamilies report less anxiety, depression and risky behaviors. It is likely that high consistency in
