Linking adolescent family and peer relationships to the quality of young adult romantic relationships: The mediating role of conflict tactics

Purpose To further understand the association between body dissatisfaction and sadness/loneliness among adolescent girls, we examine how this association, as reported by pre-teen and adolescent girls, is mediated or moderated by the quality of peer and family relationships. Methods Our data are from the Health Behavior of School-Aged Children 2009-2010, a nationally representative survey of school-aged children in the US. We analyze a sample of 5658 girls in Grades 5 through 10. We utilize ordinary least squares (OLS) regression techniques and adjust for the complex sampling design. We explore how the link between body dissatisfaction and sadness/loneliness is mediated or moderated by family and peer relationships and also include controls for age, race, media exposure, and physical health. Results We find that body dissatisfaction is predictive of sadness/loneliness for girls at all grade levels and that the quality of peer and family relationships mediates 27%-38% of this association, particularly among early adolescent girls. Positive peer relationships also moderate or help mitigate the association between body dissatisfaction and sadness/loneliness among pre-teens. Conclusion Our findings underscore the association between body dissatisfaction and sadness/loneliness among early adolescent girls. In addition, our results highlight the importance of quality peer and family relationships in terms of how girls think about their bodies and respond emotionally to them. To evaluate feelings of sadness and loneliness among early adolescent girls, health care professionals need to consider not only body dissatisfaction but also the context of peer and family relationships.

Grounded in a biosocial model, this study examines the interaction between adolescents' testosterone levels and qualities of the parent-adolescent and sibling-adolescent relationship in adolescents' peer experiences and contributes to empirical research on the role of biological factors and family socialization processes in adolescents' peer competence and involvement. Participants included 331 adolescents (M = 14.68 years of age, SD = 1.53) and their mothers and fathers in 173 families. During home visits, data were collected from family members regarding adolescents' family relationships, peer relationships, and psychosocial adjustment; daily time-use data were gathered during a series of 7 nightly phone interviews; and testosterone levels were assessed through saliva samples. Hierarchical regression results revealed that when boys had close relationships with mothers and sisters, testosterone was positively associated with their peer competence and involvement. Discussion focuses on the value of exploring biosocial interactions and highlights the particular importance of boys' relationships with opposite-sex family members in efforts to understand their peer experiences.

Family, friendship, and romantic relationships are considered to be the most important close relationships in one’s life (Demir, 2010). The current study sought to examine the role of adolescent and adult personal (personality) and interpersonal (relationships with parents and peers) factors as predictors of adult romantic relationship quality. The study also aimed to examine the association between personality and relationship factors and the absence or presence of a romantic relationship in adulthood. The data for this study came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), which is a 12-year, 4-wave, longitudinal study. The sample included 1,929 participants who took part in Wave I and Wave IV of the study. Linear regression was utilized to examine the relationship between adolescent and adult personality and relationship factors and romantic relationship quality in adulthood, and to compare the strength of adolescent and adult predictors. Results revealed that adolescent factors were stronger predictors of adult romantic relationship quality, with adolescent conscientiousness being the strongest predictor amongst variables. Logistic regression was also used to determine the association between personality and relationship factors and relationship status. Findings indicate that a better-quality relationship with an individual’s mother during adolescence and higher levels of extraversion in adulthood, increased the likelihood of being in a romantic relationship in adulthood. The results of this study contribute to the limited amount of existing literature concerning adolescent and adult personality and relationship factors impact on romantic relationship quality in adulthood.

Self-esteem and perceived quality of romantic and family relationships in young adults

Thirty-one couples and their daughters participated in a study of the contribution of family and friendship relationships in adolescence, and of daughter/friend communication in adulthood to the adult daughters' perception of friendship support in adulthood. Questionnaires and direct observation of communication skills were used to evaluate marital quality, parental quality, and friendship quality at Time 1 (Tl). At Time 2 (T2), 7 years later, daughters and their best friends completed questionnaires and videotaped social support interactions. A hierarchical regression model was used to predict daughters' perception of friendship support in adulthood. The findings indicated that higher levels of Tl mother/father marital satisfaction, higher levels of Tl mother/daughter positive communication, lower levels of Tl mother/ daughter negative communication, and higher levels of T2 daughters' validation during communication with best friend uniquely predicted higher levels of T2 daughters' perception of friendship support. The findings suggest that family relationship quality in adolescence contributes to children's ability to develop and maintain adaptive resources for coping with stress in adulthood.

PurposeAdolescence represents a critical period for the onset of eating disorders (EDs). The present study aimed to provide the prevalence of individuals at risk for EDs psychopathology in a representative population of adolescents aged 14–19 and to characterize this population regarding interpersonal and psychological factors.MethodsThe percentage of participants at risk for EDs in a representative high school population was assessed through the SCOFF screening questionnaire (cut-off score: 3) in the total sample (N: 6551) and in gender-based subgroups for different body mass index (BMI) categories. Odds ratios for being at risk of ED (SCOFF ≥ 3) were esteemed in a multivariable analysis including self-reported parental education, quality of family and peer relationships, bullying victimization, age at first sexual intercourse, and psychological distress.ResultsA SCOFF score ≥ 3 was found in 31.0% of participants (boys: 19.4%; girls: 44.6%), with a greater prevalence among higher BMI categories. Bad family relationships, being bullied, having the first sexual intercourse before the age of 14, and experiencing high distress were associated with this risk condition. Among girls, bad peer relationships were associated with a low-risk SCOFF score.ConclusionA remarkable percentage of adolescents reported significant body image or eating concerns. Screening programs are deeply needed, and particular attention should be devoted to interpersonal factors, such as the quality of family relationships and interactions with peers, which represent potential indicators of this vulnerability.Level of evidenceLevel V – Cross-sectional study.

Although health effects of social relationships are well-researched, long-term health consequences of adolescent family as well as peer relationships are poorly understood. The aim of the study was to explore the prospective importance of parental and peer social relationships in adolescence on internalising and functional somatic symptoms in adulthood. Data were drawn from four waves of the Northern Swedish Cohort Study, response rate 94.3%, N=1001. Outcome variables were internalising and functional somatic symptoms at the ages of 21, 30 and 42. Relationship variables at age 16 were poor parental contact and three indicators of poor peer relationships. Associations were assessed in multivariate ordinal logistic regressions with adjustment for confounders and baseline health. Results show that the main relationships-related predictors of adult internalising symptoms were self-rated poor peer relationships in terms of spending time alone during after-school hours and poor parental relationship. Functional somatic symptoms on the other hand were most strongly associated with poor parental contact and not being happy with classmates at age 16. The quality of parental and peer relationships in adolescence predicts adult mental and functional somatic health as much as 26 years later, even when accounting for confounders and adolescent symptomatology. This study extends past research by exploring how both adolescent parental and peer relationships (self-reported as well as teacher reported) predict adult self-reported health.

To examine ethnic identity as a predictor of adolescent self-competence and possible differences in ethnic identity according to age in an American White minority ethnic group, we surveyed 63 Jewish teenagers (ages 11-18) living in a Jewish nondominant neighborhood context in a large southeastern metropolitan area in the United States. Participants completed measures of ethnic identity, self-competence, demographic variables, and peer and family relationships. Results indicate that the older Jewish teenagers (15 and older) have a weaker ethnic identification than the younger Jewish teenagers (14 and under). At all ages, teenagers with stronger ethnic identification reported greater scholastic self-competence. Additionally, family or peer variables predicted 4 of the 5 dimensions of self-competence examined (social acceptance, physical appearance, close friendship, and self-worth), suggesting the importance of other influences on self-competence like the quality of family and peer relationships.

Pathways from poor family relationships in adolescence to economic adversity in mid-adulthood

Research suggests that, for adolescent females, the initiation of romantic relationships is a normative developmental task and a task associated with potential difficulties, including physical aggression. Most previous research treats progress in this task as a function of individual characteristics. This study assumes that when girls are negotiating romantic relationships, they have existing intimate friendships with other females, and these friendships are important to how this task is negotiated. Females who recently graduated from high school provided retrospective and current information on the amount of leisure time spent with members of their social networks, qualities of relationships in later adolescence, and characteristics of individuals and peer relationships in ninth grade. This study examined how peer relationships are reorganized during high school and whether girls tradeoff time with friends for time with partners. Growth curves of involvement with friends and partners were estimated. In general, the amount of time spent with best female friends started high and remained relatively constant during high school, while time with romantic partners started low and increased substantially. Girls did trade time with best friends for time with romantic partners, but no cross-over in normative trajectories was found. Nevertheless, there was variation in experiences. About a quarter of adolescents spent similar amounts of time with friends and partners throughout high school; and another quarter maintained time with friends, but had little involvement with partners. The remaining females showed some evidence of reorganization: They increased the amount of time with partners and reduced time with best friends. Social and individual characteristics predicted patterns of involvement with peers. Additionally, these patterns predicted the quality of subsequent relationships with friends and partners. Adolescents who had steeper trajectories of involvement in romantic relationships reported higher positive qualities and more physical aggression in current romantic relationships, and more exposure to jealousy and physical aggression in past relationships. Results support the notion that adding romantic relationships during adolescence is a complex task that female adolescents negotiate in different ways. Maintaining friendships with other girls may be an important part of that task, and one whose study should be included in future research.

The goals of this study were to compare mothers' and fathers' direct involvement in adolescent girls' versus boys' peer relationships and to examine the links between parents' involvement and the qualities of adolescents' friendship and peer experiences. Participants were mothers, fathers, and firstborn adolescents (mean age = 15 years) in 187 working‐ and middle‐class families. Data were collected during home visits and a series of seven nightly telephone interviews. Parents' direct involvement was measured by parents' reports of their peer‐oriented activities, parents' knowledge about adolescents' peer experiences, and parents' time spent with adolescents and their peers. Findings revealed that mothers were more knowledgeable about adolescents' peer relationships than were fathers, that mothers with daughters reported the most peer‐oriented activities, and that both mothers and fathers spent more time with same‐sex adolescents and their peers. Parents' direct involvement was differentially related to girls' versus boys' peer experiences. Discussion highlights the role of parents' and adolescents' gender in shaping this dimension of family life in adolescence.

For several decades, social psychologists have tilled the fertile fields of interpersonal attraction and close relationships, with impressive results. It is now possible to predict with some certainty the course and future of an adult romantic relationship on the basis of the behaviors and attitudes of the participants (Fletcher & Fincham, 1991; Gottman, 1994). Unfortunately, the study of adolescent romantic relationships has not kept apace with these advances; models generated to describe adult relationships have not been applied systematically to those during adolescence. In this chapter we discuss the nature and functions of adolescent romantic relationships, integrating prevailing theories of social exchange with a developmental perspective on close relationships. Social exchange theory (Kelley & Thibaut, 1978; Thibaut & Kelley, 1959) provides a popular and compelling framework for understanding adult romantic relationships (Clark & Reis, 1988). Economic principles are extended to interpersonal behavior: Individuals establish and maintain relationships that proffer optimal rewards relative to costs. Widely recognized by social psychologists, exchange theory awaits developmental applications (Graziano, 1984; Laursen, 1996). This oversight is not an indictment of the theory but a manifestation of conceptual neglect in the area of adolescent close peer relationships (Furman, 1993).

Factors protecting against the development of adjustment difficulties in young adults exposed to childhood sexual abuse

Various childhood social experiences have been reported to predict adult outcomes. However, it is unclear how different social contexts may influence each other's effects in the long run. This study examined the joint contribution of adolescent family and peer experiences to young adult wellbeing and functioning. Participants came from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) study (n = 2230). We measured family and peer relations at ages 11 and 16 (i.e. family functioning, perceived parenting, peer status, peer relationship quality), and functioning as the combination of subjective wellbeing, physical and mental health, and socio-academic functioning at age 22. Using structural equation modelling, overall functioning was indicated by two latent variables for positive and negative functioning. Positive, negative and overall functioning at young adulthood were regressed on adolescent family experiences, peer experiences and interactions between the two. Family experiences during early and mid-adolescence were most predictive for later functioning; peer experiences did not independently predict functioning. Interactions between family and peer experiences showed that both protective and risk factors can have context-dependent effects, being exacerbated or overshadowed by negative experiences or buffered by positive experiences in other contexts. Overall the effect sizes were modest at best. Adolescent family relations as well as the interplay with peer experiences predict young adult functioning. This emphasizes the importance of considering the relative effects of one context in relation to the other.

“Defining the relationship” (DTR) conversations are a topic of interest among lay people, yet have been the focus of little empirical research, leaving a gap in the psychological literature on romantic relationship development. This article presents descriptive data from two studies about the characteristics and correlates of DTR talks in adolescents’ and emerging adults’ romantic relationships. In Study 1, DTR talks were found to occur in over half of the young adult participants’ ( N = 341) most recent relationships, often involved discussion about aspects of commitment and sexual decisions, and occurred more often in relationships that were more serious, involved sex, delayed sex, and involved infidelity. Study 2 extended these findings to an online sample of 15- to 17-year-old adolescents ( N = 248) and found similar results. Further, Study 2 showed that DTR talks were associated with more frequent condom and birth control use. Qualitative data from Study 2 indicated that planning for the future and resolving ambiguity were common motivations for DTR talks, though many teens also reported more spontaneous motivations; further, DTR talks often, but not always, resulted in positive changes in the relationship, including increased clarity, intimacy, and commitment. These findings suggest that DTR talks are an important topic for future research and may have implications for young people’s relationship quality and sexual health.