Family relationships and children's adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families.

Investigated differences in marital and family process, children's behavioral adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families, and the relationship of family process to children's psychosocial adjustment. Nonclinical stepfamilies had better parent–child relations, better marital adjustment, and more marital individuation than clinical stepfamilies. Children in clinical stepfamilies had more behavior problems rated with fewer prosocial behaviors, and had more shy and withdrawn behavior than children in nonclinical stepfamilies. More negative and less positive child-to-parent interactions and less spousal individuation correlated with more behavior problems and less prosocial behavior of children. Implications for clinical interventions and future research on stepfamilies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent-child relationships in stepparent families.

Compared college students' perceptions of parent–child relationships in stepfamilies with those in continuously intact families. 47 students from stepfamilies and 130 from intact families completed a parent–child relationship survey developed by M. A. Fine et al (see record 1984-01194-001). Results suggest that adult stepchildren perceived relationships with their noncustodial biological mothers and stepmothers less positively than adult children from intact families perceived relationships with their biological mothers. No significant differences were found between adult children's perceptions of father–child and stepfather–child relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental Issues in StepFamilies Research Project: Family relationships and parent-child interactions.

An overview of previous findings on children's adjustment in stepfamilies, nonresidential parent–child relationships, and steproles and new results on family relationships from the Developmental Issues in StepFamilies Research Project is presented. A multimethod, multimeasure, cross-sectional, and longitudinal design was used to study 97 1st-marriage, nuclear families, and 98 stepfamilies after 6 mo, 2.5 yrs, and 5 yrs of remarriage and, longitudinally, 3–4 yrs later. Differences in family relationships and parent–child interactions were found in stepfather families and nuclear families during the early months of remarriage and after 5 yrs. Marital and family relationships were significant predictors of parent–child interactions, although they were moderated by family group, and some relationships varied with the length of remarriage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family lives and friendships: The perspectives of children in step-, single-parent, and nonstep families.

Children's reports on their experiences in different family settings (stepfamilies, single-parent families, and intact families), their contact with friends, and the quality of their friendships were studied with data from 238 children drawn from a community sample. A particular focus was on children's confiding and communication: children's recall of communication about family transitions and their current communication about stepfamily issues with family and friends. Friends were found to be key confidants. The relations between children's family lives (confiding, parent–child relationships, family activities, involvement in parental conflict, and communication about stepfamily issues) and their friendships were investigated and found to be linked to biological relatedness and family setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reciprocal relation between parent-child distance and pubertal maturation.

Previous research on adolescents and their parents has indicated that pubertal maturation, independent of chronological age, is associated with increased distance in the parent–child relationship, but the cross-sectional nature of these studies leaves open questions concerning the direction of effects. Using short-term longitudinal data, this study examines the reciprocal relation between parent–child distance and pubertal maturation in a sample of 157 male and female firstborn adolescents and their parents. Twice over a 1-year period, independent raters assessed each youngster's pubertal status, and parents and adolescents independently completed questionnaire measures of autonomy, conflict, and closeness in the parent–child relationship. Regression analyses indicate that puberty increases adolescent autonomy and parent–child conflict and diminishes parent–child closeness. Analyses also indicate that parent–child distance may, in turn, accelerate pubertal maturation among girls. Both proximal and distal explanations for the relation between parent–child distance and pubertal maturation are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation between marital quality and (step)parent-child relationship quality for parents and stepparents in stepfamilies.

This study examined the relation between perceived marital quality and the perceived quality of the (step)parent–child relationship in 2 independent samples of couples living in stepfamilies. In Sample 1, participants were both spouses in 111 stepmother families and 92 stepfather families recruited from the Stepfamily Association of America. In Sample 2, participants were both spouses in 442 stepfather families and 75 stepmother families who participated in the National Survey of Families and Households. Within families, for both samples, the relation between perceived marital quality and the perceived quality of the stepparent–stepchild relationship was stronger than that between perceived marital quality and the perceived quality of the biological parent–child relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Contributing to a field of investigation": A response to Pasley.

Responds to K. Pasley's (see record 1989-15304-001) comments on the study of parent–child relationships in stepfamilies reported by L. E. Sauer and the present author (see record 1989-15310-001). The deficit-comparison design is discussed, and methodological limitations are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contributing to a field of investigation.

Comments on the study of parent–child relationships in step-parent families by L. E. Sauer and M. A. Fine (see record 1989-15310-001). Issues related to the use of the deficit family model, insensitivity to the diversity of stepfamilies, and the use of single-source, single-method, and single-measure designs are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in keeping secrets from parents in adolescence.

The current longitudinal study examined adolescent gender differences in the developmental changes and relational correlates of secrecy from parents. For 4 successive years, starting in the second year of junior high (mean age at Time 1 = 13.2 years, SD = 0.51), 149 male and 160 female Dutch adolescents reported on secrecy from their parents and the quality of the parent–child relationship. Latent growth curve modeling revealed a linear increase in secrecy, which was significantly faster for boys than for girls. Moreover, cross-lagged panel analyses showed clear concurrent and longitudinal linkages between secrecy from parents and poorer parent–child relationship quality in girls. In boys, much less strong linkages were found between poorer relationships and secrecy from parents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The association between parent–child conflict and adolescent conduct problems over time: Results from a longitudinal adoption study.

A handful of prior adoption studies have confirmed that the cross-sectional relationship between child conduct problems and parent–child conflict at least partially originates in the shared environment. However, as the direction of causation between parenting and delinquency remains unclear, this relationship could be better explained by the adolescent's propensity to elicit conflictive parenting, a phenomenon referred to as an evocative gene–environment correlation. In the current study, the authors thus examined the prospective relationship between conduct problems and parent–child conflict in a sample of adoptive families. Participants included 672 adolescents in 405 adoptive families assessed at 2 time points roughly 4 years apart. Results indicated that parent–child conflict predicts the development of conduct problems, whereas conduct problems do not predict increases in parent–child conflict. Such findings suggest that evocative gene–environment correlations are highly unlikely to be an explanation of prior shared environmental effects during adolescence. Moreover, because the adolescents in this study do not share genes with their adoptive parents, the association between conduct problems and parent–child conflict is indicative of shared environmental mediation in particular. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of food acceptance patterns.

Suckling and feeding are central to the child's health and development. In addition, feeding provides a context for early parent–child interaction. Despite the centrality of feeding to the child's development, it has been largely neglected by developmental psychologists as an area of study. To interest the developmental researcher in the acquisition of food acceptance patterns, this article provides a rationale for the significance of the study of early feeding and delineates major questions and issues that require investigation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations between parental control and warmth and child well-being in stepfamilies.

Examined type-of-stepfamily differences in child well-being and parenting behaviors and how child well-being in stepfamilies relates to parenting behaviors. Data were drawn from the National Survey of Families and Households (J. A. Sweet et al, 1988) and included fathers and mothers in 448 stepfather, 76 stepmother, and 41 complex stepfamilies. Biological parents in stepfamilies perceived themselves as having higher quality relationships with their children than stepparents reported having with their stepchildren. Although stepfathers reported behaving less positively toward their children than did other fathers, stepmothers reported responding as positively to their stepchildren as did biological mothers in stepfamilies. In general, child well-being was positively related to perceptions of parental warmth. The relations between parental control and child well-being varied for different dimensions of well-being and in different types of stepfamilies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tensions in the parent and adult child relationship: Links to solidarity and ambivalence.

Tensions are normative in the parent and adult child relationship, but there is little research on the topics that cause the most tension or whether tensions are associated with overall relationship quality. In this study, adult sons and daughters, age 22 to 49, and their mothers and fathers (N = 158 families, 474 individuals) reported the intensity of different tension topics and relationship quality (solidarity and ambivalence) with one another. Tensions varied between and within families by generation, gender, and age of offspring. Compared to tensions regarding individual issues, tensions regarding the relationship were associated with lower affective solidarity and greater ambivalence. Findings are consistent with the developmental schism hypothesis, which indicates that parent–child tensions are common and are the result of discrepancies in developmental needs that vary by generation, gender, and age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent-chld relationships and the management of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Several dimensions of parent–child relationships were examined as predictors of adherence to treatment and metabolic control in a multi-informant study of 88 children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who were recruited from 2 endocrinology clinics. Ratings of parent–child discipline, warmth, and behavioral support were not significantly associated with diabetes outcome, but parent–child conflict was a consistent correlate of both adherence and metabolic control. Within a public hospital subsample, conflict was related to parent, child, and nurse ratings of adherence and to a physiological index of metabolic control. These results were partially replicated in a private practice sample where conflict was significantly related to parents' ratings of adherence and to metabolic control. Conflict accounted for unique variance in diabetes outcome beyond that associated with other measures of the parent–child relationship, but the relation between conflict and metabolic control was no longer significant when adherence ratings were entered into regression equations first. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Etiology of child maltreatment: A developmental€cological analysis.

Applies a developmental–ecological perspective to the question of the etiology of physical child abuse and neglect by organizing the paper around a variety of "contexts of maltreatment." The roles of parent and child characteristics and processes are considered ("developmental context"), including an examination of intergenerational transmission. The "immediate interactional context" of maltreatment, which focuses on the parenting and parent–child interactional processes associated with abuse and neglect, is analyzed. Finally, the "broader context" is discussed with 3 specific subsections dealing with the community, cultural, and evoluntionary contexts of child maltreatment. Implications for intervention are considered and future research directions are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authority, autonomy, and parent–adolescent conflict and cohesion: A study of adolescents from Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, and European backgrounds.

This study examined whether parent–child conflict and cohesion during adolescence vary among families characterized as having different cultural traditions regarding parental authority and individual autonomy. Approximately 1,000 American adolescents from immigrant and native-born families with Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, and European backgrounds reported on their beliefs, expectations, and relationships with parents; longitudinal data were available for approximately 350 of these youths. Despite holding different beliefs about parental authority and individual autonomy, adolescents from all generations and cultural backgrounds reported similar levels of conflict and cohesion with their parents. Discussion focuses on the relative importance of cultural beliefs and social settings in shaping the nature of parent–child relationships during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting, parent–child relationships, and sexual possibility situations among urban African American preadolescents: Preliminary findings and implications for HIV prevention.

This article examines associations among parenting, parent–child relationships, and children's exposure to sexual possibility situations. African American families (N?=?310) with preadolescent children were interviewed regarding parenting, parent–child relations, and demographic history. Children were interviewed privately about their exposure to sexual possibility situations. Results revealed marginal effects of child gender as well as effects of parent education and parent employment on children's exposure to sexual possibility situations. An interaction effect indicated that parenting support may be a protective factor against exposure to sexual possibility situations among children whose mothers were adolescents at the time of their 1st childbirth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in functions of three relations during adolescence.

Three functions of interpersonal relations (attempt at behavior control, intimacy, and nurture) were assessed in friendship, mother–child, and father–child relations of adolescents to examine age, relational, sex, and mother–father differences. 60 female and 60 male 4th, 7th, and 10th graders and undergraduates rated 8 statements that portrayed interpersonal interactions for each relationship to indicate how closely the statements described Ss' actual interpersonal relations. Parents exerted greater control than friends across grades. Intimacy in friendship was lower than in parent–child relations at 4th grade, but it surpassed the parent level by 10th grade. Nurturance remained relatively consistent and high across grades for parents, whereas it increased with increasing age of adolescents in friendship. Female friendship involved higher intimacy than male friendship. Only males perceived fathers to be more nurturant than mothers. Results are interpreted in terms of their consistency with the Piagetian/relational framework of social development and their implications for research concerning parental and peer conformity in adolescent socialization. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal associations between family dinner and adolescent perceptions of parent–child communication among racially diverse urban youth.

We examined changes in adolescent self-reported parent–child communication using growth curve models conditional on family meal frequency over a 3.5-year period among a population of racially diverse, low-income adolescents from an urban environment (n = 4,750). Results indicated that although both family dinner frequency and adolescent perceptions of parent–child communication scores were characterized by negative linear growth over time (both p     

Parent-child antecedents of 5-year-olds' close friendships: A longitudinal analysis.

A longitudinal study of 73 families was extended to examine links between early parent–child relationships measured at 1 (in the Strange Situation) and 3 (in a laboratory observation) yrs of age and the target child's relationship with a close friend at 5 yrs of age (in a lab observation). Path analysis was used to test developmental models of parent–child antecedents of dyadic positive and negative friendship behavior. Results indicated that more positive and secure parent–child relationships are associated with more positive friendships and more negative family relationships with more negative friendships. However, several counterintuitive findings also emerged suggestive of compensatory processes. Specific findings illuminate the role of early attachment relationships and differential maternal and paternal effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)