Effects of neighborhood and family stressors on African American male adolescents' self-worth and propensity for violent behavior

Multilevel data were used to examine the effects of neighborhood poverty on family stress and conflict, African American male adolescents' self-worth, and their propensity for violent behavior. Block group-level census data were linked with survey data from 188 African American male adolescents and their mothers. Path analyses indicated that neighborhood poverty did not directly affect adolescents' propensity for violent behavior but may have had an indirect effect through family stress and conflict and adolescents' self-worth. Subgroup analyses revealed that adolescents who had lived in their neighborhoods for more than 5 years were more susceptible to the potentially detrimental effects of neighborhood-level poverty and family stress and conflict. Implications for future research and prevention programming are discussed.     

Adolescent–parent interactions in middle-class African American families: Longitudinal change and contextual variations.

Family interactions were examined longitudinally over 2 years in 79 middle-class African American families with early adolescents. Mothers and adolescents (as well as fathers and adolescents and triads in 2-parent families) were videotaped discussing a conflict for 10 min. A macro-coding system (J. G. Smetana, J. Yau, A. Restrepo, & J. L. Braeges, 1991) was modified to be culturally sensitive to African American families. Interaction ratings were reduced, through principal-components analyses, into composite variables. After control for family income, mothers' communication in triadic interactions became less positive over time. Both mothers' and fathers' communication was more positive in dyadic than triadic interactions. In triadic interactions, mothers validated sons more than daughters, and in dyadic interactions with either parent, boys were more receptive to parents than were girls. Findings extend previous research on adolescent–parent relationships to African American families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescents' subjective distress over their emotional/behavioral problems.

This study analyzed the relations among 151 7th- and 8th-grade adolescents' self-evaluations of the occurrence of their behavior, their own subjective distress over their behavior, their perceptions of their personal competence, their perceptions of their mothers' and fathers' distress over these behaviors, and their parents' reports of the occurrence of adolescent behaviors. As hypothesized, adolescents' self-reports of occurrence of their behaviors were significantly but moderately correlated with their subjective distress about these behaviors, and adolescents made a distinction between the occurrence of a behavior and their distress about it. Externalizing behaviors were rated by adolescents as more distressing to mothers and to fathers than to adolescents themselves, and conversely, internalizing behaviors were rated as more distressing to self than to parents. Ratings of subjective distress were significantly related to self-perceptions of behavioral conduct and self-worth, whereas parents' ratings of the occurrence of behavior were not related to these self-perceptions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescents' and mothers' perceptions of the cognitive and relational functions of collaboration and adjustment in dealing with type 1 diabetes.

We examined how adolescents' and mothers' perceptions of cognitive and interpersonal functions of collaboration surrounding Type 1 diabetes differed and how they related to adolescent age, psychosocial, and diabetes adjustment. Adolescents (M = 14.16 years) and mothers completed questionnaires assessing the functions of collaboration for the adolescent, quality of the mother-adolescent relationship, emotional adjustment, and adherence to the diabetes regimen. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of perceptions of collaboration confirmed three dimensions: collaboration to compensate for cognitive function, interpersonal enjoyment, and frequency of collaboration. Although adolescents' and mothers' views of interpersonal enjoyment and frequency of collaboration converged, their perceptions of compensation were unrelated. Mothers' perceptions of adolescents' compensation were unrelated to perceptions of enjoyment and frequency. Both adolescents and mothers perceived less compensation and less enjoyment of collaboration with increasing adolescent age, but only adolescents reported collaborating less frequently with higher age. Better emotional adjustment and adherence occurred when mothers and adolescents perceived enjoying collaboration (controlling for mothers' acceptance) regardless of age. Enjoying collaboration at an interpersonal level may be an important avenue for successful diabetes management during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Information processing in everyday life: Emotion-congruent bias in mothers' reports of parent-child interactions.

The authors examined the role of emotions in mothers' perceptions of the parent-child relationship. Ninety-nine mothers completed a measure of trait affect and then interacted with their preschool children under low- and high-stress conditions. After each interaction session, mothers rated their mood states and positive and negative aspects of parent-child behavior. To control for differences in the quality of dyadic interaction, observers also rated behavior. Across sessions, mood was a more robust predictor of mothers' perceptions than was trait affect. When trait effects did occur, they were mediated by mood states. Results suggest that when emotionally congruent information processing occurs in real-life situations, emotions generated by the interactions play a preeminent role in the immediate interpretation of the exchange. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A transactional model of adolescent self-esteem.

Adolescents (51 boys, 53 girls), 11 to 15 years old, and their mothers participated in a study to test a transactional model of self-esteem (TMS). The TMS proposes that self-esteem results from complex transactions among individual characteristics, cognitions, and behaviors of adolescents and parents. Structural equation models were used to examine direct and indirect effects of mothers' depressive symptoms and adolescent behavior problems on perceptions of each other, behaviors toward each other, and adolescent self-esteem. Measures included self-reports and ratings by teachers and observers. As hypothesized, there were direct paths to global self-esteem from adolescents' specific self-perceptions and mothers' positive communications, whereas paths from maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent behavior problems to self-esteem were indirect, mediated by mothers' perceptions and behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How much do I tell thee? Strategies for managing information to parents among American adolescents from Chinese, Mexican, and European backgrounds.

Strategies for managing information about activities to parents, including partial disclosure, avoidance, lying, and full disclosure, were examined in 479 American adolescents (M = 16.38 years, SD = 0.77) varying in generational status and from Mexican, Chinese, and European backgrounds. Information management strategies for personal, prudential, and overlapping (multifaceted) activities as defined within social domain theory were examined. With age, parental education, and generational status controlled, Chinese American adolescents partially disclosed more to mothers about personal and multifaceted activities than did Mexican American adolescents and more to fathers about personal activities than did European American teens. In contrast, European and Mexican American adolescents fully disclosed more to mothers about personal activities than did Chinese-origin adolescents. Strategies varied by generation among Chinese American youth; second-generation adolescents avoided discussing activities with parents more than did immigrants. Adolescents who fully disclosed about all activities and lied less about multifaceted and personal activities reported stronger endorsement of obligations to assist their families, more trust in parents, and less problem behavior. More depressed mood was associated with more lying about personal activities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Domain-appropriateness of maternal discipline as a predictor of adolescents' positive and negative outcomes.

The purpose of the current study was to examine adolescents' perceptions of the appropriateness of maternal discipline across social domains and how domain-appropriateness was related to adolescents' prosocial and antisocial behaviors via adolescents' personal prosocial values. A total of 133 adolescents (54% girls; mean age = 16.23 years, SD = 1.27) completed questionnaires in their classrooms at school. Results suggest that adolescents perceived mothers as responding differently to their misbehavior and perceived different maternal discipline as appropriate as a function of the domain into which the misbehavior fit. Findings also suggest that domain-appropriateness of maternal discipline was related to adolescent outcomes (directly, and indirectly via personal values), suggesting the importance of domain-appropriate maternal discipline during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Autonomy and relatedness with parents and romantic development in African American adolescents.

The influence of adolescents' autonomy and relatedness to parents on romantic relationships was examined longitudinally over 5 years in 76 middle-class African American late adolescents (mean age = 18.43 years). Relatedness to parents in early adolescence led to longer duration and more supportive romantic relationships in late adolescence, but longer duration was concurrently associated with more negative romantic relationships. Cluster analyses yielded 3 profiles of early adolescent autonomy and relatedness; early adolescents who were high in relatedness and low in autonomy to parents in early adolescence reported longer duration romantic relationships in late adolescence than did adolescents who were moderate or high in relatedness and high in autonomy. The implications for romantic development in African American middle-class youth are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discordant prolongation of the refractory period and repolarization time by a class III agent, E4031, in the healing phase of myocardial infarction

One hundred and ninety-eight adolescents and their mothers (N = 189) and fathers (N = 136) participated in a 4-year longitudinal study. Adolescent problem behaviour was assessed by the Youth Self-Report (YSR) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). In addition, parental stress and marital adjustment were determined. Results showed that mothers and fathers showed high agreement, especially about their daughters, whereas parents and adolescents showed little agreement. Agreement was higher for internalising than for externalising behaviours. In general, adolescents reported more symptomatology than their parents did. However, mothers' ratings of their children's behaviours were significantly correlated with adolescents' self-ratings, but fathers' ratings were not. Statistical tests of correlations showed that mothers experiencing stress caused by marital problems perceived more problem behaviours in their children. Fathers' perceptions were relatively unaffected by personal adjustment. However, poor marital adjustment perceived by both parents showed a significant negative relation to adolescent externalising problem behaviour.     

The role of family relationship quality and testosterone levels in adolescents' peer experiences: A biosocial analysis.

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. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processes linking adolescent well-being, marital love, and coparenting.

This study examined coparenting in a sample of 177 two-parent families with firstborn adolescents by using annual home interview data from mothers, fathers, and adolescents. With a path-analytic approach and with earlier problem behaviors controlled for, coparenting conflict predicted relative increases in adolescent risky behavior over 2 years. In addition, evidence for 2 types of mediation was found. Marital love mediated the link between adolescents' early risky behavior and coparenting 1 year later, and coparenting conflict mediated the link between marital love and adolescents' risky behavior 1 year later. Linkages did not emerge for coparenting cooperation or triangulation. Interventions that are focused on the marital and coparental relationships in families with adolescents may modify trajectories of adolescent risky behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stepchildren's Perceptions of Noncustodial Mothers and Noncustodial Fathers: Differences in Socioemotional Involvement and Associations With Adolescent Adjustment Problems.

Caucasian stepchildren (aged 10-18) in the Nonshared Environment and Adolescent Development (NEAD) project rated noncustodial (NC) parents' socioemotional involvement. Stepfamilies had been together at least 5 years. Adolescents with NC mothers (n = 56) reported more phone calls, mail, overnight visits, and social support than adolescents with NC fathers (n = 143). The association between perceived social support and adolescent adjustment was compared for NC mothers versus NC fathers by using structural equation modeling; the association was stronger for NC mothers. No effects for sex of child or interactions of sex of child/sex of NC parent were obtained. NC fathers might increase their influence in adolescents' lives by behaving more like NC mothers (more frequent phone calls, overnights, etc.). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of mood on mothers' evaluations of children's behavior.

Examined the effects of mood on mothers' evaluations of their children's behavior. Ss were 54 mothers and their 4- to 5-yr-old children. Families were randomly assigned to a depressed, positive, or neutral mood condition. Mothers evaluated their children's behavior after participating in a mood induction. Independent observers also evaluated children's behavior. Mothers in the positive mood condition evaluated their children's behavior as more favorable than did mothers in the depressed and neutral mood conditions. Mothers in the positive mood condition also evaluated their children's behavior as more favorable than did independent observers of the children's behavior. Evaluations provided by mothers in the depressed mood condition did not differ from those provided by mothers in the neutral mood condition or from those provided by independent observers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal facial behavior and the recognition and production of emotional expression by maltreated and nonmaltreated children.

20 maltreated and 20 nonmaltreated children (ages?=?3–7 years) and their mothers were observed during a laboratory play session and 7 home observation visits. Ss' facial behavior was video recorded in the lab and coded live by observers in the home. Children also participated in an emotional-expression recognition task. Data analysis showed that both maltreatment status and mothers' facial behavior were predictors of children's recognition scores. Positive relationships were also found between mothers' and children's expressive behavior. Although maltreated and nonmaltreated children differed significantly in their recognition of emotional facial expressions, group differences were not found for either mothers' or children's expressive behavior. Overall, this study's findings indicate that children's recognition and production of facial expressions depends in part on the expressive environment provided by their mothers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The roles of respect for parental authority and parenting practices in parent-child conflict among African American, Latino, and European American families.

In this study, the authors examined whether parent-child conflict during the middle childhood years varied among families characterized as having different cultural traditions regarding issues of respect for parental authority and parenting practices. The sample included 133 African American, European American, and Latina girls (M age = 8.41 years) and their mothers. African American and Latina girls showed significantly more respect for parental authority than did European American girls. Furthermore, African American and Latina mothers reported significantly more intense arguments when respect was low than did European American mothers. Higher levels of discipline and better communication by mothers were both associated with reports of lower frequency of conflict; ethnicity did not moderate this association. Thus, respect for authority was most salient to group differences in conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectories of externalizing behavior from age 2 to age 9: Relations with gender, temperament, ethnicity, parenting, and rater.

Trajectories of children's externalizing behavior were examined using multilevel growth curve modeling of data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. According to ratings by both mothers and caregivers/teachers when children were 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 years old, externalizing behavior declined with age. However, mothers rated children as higher in externalizing behavior than did caregivers and teachers. Higher levels of age 9 externalizing behavior were predicted by the following factors: child male gender (for caregiver/teacher reports only), infant difficult temperament (for children with harsh mothers only), harsher maternal attitude toward discipline, higher level of maternal depression (for maternal reports only), and lower level of maternal sensitivity (especially for boys). Caregivers and teachers reported higher levels of externalizing behavior in African American children than in European American children, increasingly so over time; mothers' ratings revealed the reverse. The declining slope of externalizing behavior was predicted by infant difficult temperament for mother reports only. Additional analyses suggested that the association between parenting and externalizing behavior was bidirectional. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental influences on adolescents' oral health behavior: two-year follow-up of the Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behavior Study participants

This study explores the influences of parents' behavior and the parent-child relationship upon adolescents' smoking, oral hygiene performance and intake of sugared foods. In 1993 (Time 1), a representative sample of 709 16-yr-old adolescents in Hordaland County, Norway and their parents completed questionnaires at home. A postal follow-up 2 yr later (Time 2) provided 781 answers. The present analyses included 597 cohort participants who responded on both occasions, and 460 mothers and 399 fathers who replied in 1993. Influence of the parent-child relationship was assessed in terms of two scales: parental support and parental control of the youngsters. Multivariate regression analyses indicated that adolescents' oral health behaviors at Time 1, were each powerful predictors of their corresponding behaviors at Time 2. When the Time 1 parental behavior and the Time 2 parent-child relationship scales were added, mothers' oral hygiene performance and sugar intake accounted for a significant amount of the variance in the corresponding behaviors of adolescents at Time 2. Fathers' smoking and the parental control scale contributed to the prediction of adolescents' Time 2 smoking. These results extend previous ones obtained from cross-sectional studies and give further support to the importance of including the family in prevention campaigns aimed at adolescents.     

Individual differences in early adolescents' beliefs in the legitimacy of parental authority.

Adolescents differ in the extent to which they believe that parents have legitimate authority to impose rules restricting adolescents' behavior. The purpose of the current study was to test predictors of individual differences in legitimacy beliefs during the middle school years. Annually, during the summers following Grades 5, 6, and 7, early adolescents (n = 218; 51% female, 47% African American, 73% in 2-parent homes) reported their beliefs regarding the legitimacy of parents' rules that restrict and monitor adolescents' free time activities. Cross-lagged analyses revealed that legitimacy beliefs were bidirectionally associated with independent decision making, psychological control, antisocial peer involvement, and resistance to control. Legitimacy beliefs declined more rapidly during the middle school years for boys than for girls and for adolescents who were older relative to their classmates. More independent decision making in Grades 5 and 6 predicted larger than expected declines in legitimacy beliefs in Grades 6 and 7. In sum, legitimacy beliefs weaken developmentally, and weaker legitimacy beliefs relative to same-grade peers are anteceded by premature autonomous experiences, psychological control, and adolescent attributes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between maternal problem-solving style and adolescent social adjustment.

Examined the relationship between social functioning in adolescents and their mothers' conflict-handling style, categorized according to 5 conflict-handling styles identified by M. A. Rahim (see record 1983-27060-001). 89 adolescents (aged 11–17 yrs) and their mothers participated. Mothers completed a measure assessing their style of handling conflict, mothers and fathers completed measures of the adolescents' social functioning, and behavioral observations of the mothers and adolescents were conducted. Results indicate that mothers who scored high on the integrating style (a style using exchange of information and examination of differences to come to a mutually acceptable, often creative, solution) measure had adolescents who were better socially adjusted according to mother, father, and behavioral observation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)