Bidirectional links and concurrent development of parent-child relationships and boys' offending behavior.

This study examined different types of longitudinal associations (i.e., directional links and overlapping developmental changes) between children's delinquency and the quality of parent–child relationships from middle childhood to late adolescence. We used 10-wave interview data of 503 boys, their primary caregivers, and their teachers. Our first aim was to unravel the direction of effects between parent–child relationships and children's offending. Cross-lagged panel models revealed bidirectional links over time between poorer quality parent–child relationships and boys' offending across late childhood (age 7–10), early adolescence (age 10–13) and middle adolescence (age 13–16). Second, we examined the associations between mean changes in delinquency, on the one hand, and mean changes in relationship quality, on the other hand. Although parent–child relationships improved during childhood, their quality decreased in early adolescence and remained stable in middle adolescence. Delinquency increased only in middle adolescence. In five out of six models, the slope factors of relationship quality and offending were strongly correlated, indicating that stronger increases in delinquency were associated with stronger decreases in parent–child relationship quality across childhood, early adolescence, and middle adolescence. The discussion focuses on the theoretical implications of these two types of longitudinal associations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritarian ideology and attitudes on parent-child relationships.

"The relationship between authoritarian ideology and attitudes about parent-child relationships was investigated by testing 172 native-white, Christian university students." Findings indicate a relationship in females that could be related to personality dispositions. It was proposed that strong authoritarian beliefs may be maladjustive in a democratic society since such beliefs are associated with attitudes similar to those held by parents of problem children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived parent-child relationships and early adolescents' orientation toward peers.

Examined the links between children's perceptions of the manner in which they and their parents adjust their relationships during early adolescence and early adolescents' orientation toward parents and peers. A sample of 1,771 children completed self-report questionnaires during the spring of their 6th and 7th grades. As predicted, early adolescents who believed their parents asserted and did not relax their power and restrictiveness were higher in an extreme form of peer orientation. Also as predicted, those who perceived few opportunities to be involved in decision making, as well as no increase in these opportunities, were higher in both extreme peer orientation and peer advice seeking. Discussion focuses on the importance for parent–child relationships to adjust to early adolescents' changing developmental needs, as well as the implications of early adolescent peer orientation for later development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of child parent relationship therapy on child behavior and parent-child relationships: An examination of parental divorce.

The current study used a mixed methodological approach to examine the impact of Child-Parent-Relationship Therapy (CPRT) on divorced parents and their children. Specifically, in the present study, the authors investigated parents' perceptions of the impact of CPRT on the parent, the child, and the parent–child relationship. CPRT was found to be helpful in reducing parenting stress and child behavior problems. Parents also reported that CPRT helped them feel more connected to their children and provided them with new tools for parenting. The results of the current study add to the current literature on divorce, affirming that CPRT may be an effective intervention for children of divorce. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testosterone and child and adolescent adjustment: The moderating role of parent-child relationships.

In a sample of established middle- and working-class families with normally developing children and adolescents ranging in age from 6 to 18 years, sons' and daughters' testosterone levels showed little direct connection to risk behavior or symptoms of depression. In contrast, testosterone's positive relation with risk behavior and negative relation with depression were conditional on the quality of parent-child relations. As parent-child relationship quality increased, testosterone-related adjustment problems were less evident. When relationship quality decreased, testosterone-linked risk-taking behavior and symptoms of depression were more in evidence. Few relations were found between parents' testosterone and child behavior. Boys' and girls' ages and stages of pubertal development were important for understanding the expression of hormone-related problem behavior in some cases but not in others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term effects of sudden bereavement: Marital and parent-child relationships and children's reactions.

Explored long-term family adjustment to sudden, unexpected bereavement by conducting interviews with 40 Ss whose spouse died in a motor vehicle crash 4–7 yrs earlier and with 39 matched controls. Interviews were also conducted with 54 parents whose 1–28 yr old child died in a motor vehicle crash 4–7 yrs earlier and with 61 matched controls. Findings indicate that marital relationships generally strengthened or dissolved after a child's death. Most bereaved adults reported feeling closer to their children after the loss of a family member. Parental reports suggest that the death of a parent or sibling is overwhelmingly negative for children, and extremely so for a significant percentage. (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)     

Perception of maternal behavior by normal and handicapped children.

153 normal, 101 ambulatory but minimally brain damaged, and 44 wheelchair-bound 12–17 yr olds reported on how they perceived their mother's behavior. Reports of the wheelchair-bound Ss were similar to those of normals. However, the minimally brain-damaged Ss perceived maternal behavior as significantly more controlling and less accepting than either the normal or wheelchair-bound groups. The author discusses whether this finding is a result of actual differences in maternal behavior or of differences in perceptual sensitivity. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perception of teacher behavior in gifted and nongifted children.

459 gifted and nongifted children in Grades 4–6 judged the importance of intelligence, creativity, and personal-social characteristics in teachers' classroom behavior. Instruments were the Wallach and Kogan Creativity Battery, the Milta Group Intelligence Test, and the Student Perception of Teachers scale, which required ranking the domains of intelligence, creativity, and personality in teacher behavior both relative to one another and independently. All Ss, regardless of level of intelligence or of creative thinking, sex, or age, valued the intelligence domain of teacher behavior much more than the other two. Findings are interpreted as suggesting a probable discrepancy between the beliefs of children and of adult educators as to what constitute the most important characteristics of effective classroom teaching. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family relationships during serious illness

Serious illness can have a profound effect on patients and their families, whose attempts to protect each other often mean they have to deal with their fears and anxieties on their own when they are most in need of mutual support. And this can affect the way in which they relate to the nursing staff they depend on. Talking to patients about their families can help them to maintain their identities, both as patients and as family members.     

Parenting behaviors and parent-child relationships: correlates of peer victimization in kindergarten?

This study examined features of parenting behavior and the parent-child relationship as correlates of peer victimization in young children. A sample of 197 kindergartners (94 girls and 103 boys) and their primary caregivers were videotaped in their homes while engaging in multiple interactional tasks, and peer victimization data were gathered on children as they began kindergarten. The video-recorded interaction data were used to create measures of parenting behavior (e.g., intrusive demandingness, responsiveness) and relationship quality (i.e., intense closeness), which were examined as predictors of peer victimization. High intrusive demandingness and low responsiveness were associated with peer victimization in both boys and girls, and parent-child relationships characterized by intense closeness were associated with higher levels of peer victimization in boys. Results are discussed in terms of the role that caregiver socialization plays in the development of child behaviors that may increase children's risk for peer victimization.     

Long-term effects of parental divorce on parent-child relationships, adjustment, and achievement in young adulthood.

Longitudinal data from the National Survey of Children were examined to investigate whether effects of parental divorce are evident in young adulthood. Among 18–22 yr olds from disrupted families, 65% had poor relationships with their fathers and 30% with their mothers, 25% had dropped out of high school, and 40% had received psychological help. Even after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic differences, youths from disrupted families were twice as likely to exhibit these problems as youths from nondisrupted families. A significant effect of divorce on mother–child relationships was evident in adulthood, whereas none was found in adolescence. Youths experiencing disruption before 6 yrs of age showed poorer relationships with their fathers than those experiencing disruption later in childhood. Overall, remarriage did not have a protective effect, but there were indications of amelioration among those who experienced early disruption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential parent-child relationships and adolescent externalizing symptoms: Cross-lagged analyses within a monozygotic twin differences design.

Research has indicated that differential parental treatment is linked to differences in externalizing symptomology (EXT) across siblings, even those siblings who are genetically identical. However, the direction of causation and longitudinal significance of this relationship remains unclear. Thus, in the present study, the authors examined 486 monozygotic twin pairs, assessed at ages 11, 14, and 17 years, within a cross-lagged twin differences design. Results revealed that differential parent-child conflict at age 11 years uniquely contributed to differential sibling EXT 3 years later but only in the most discordant twin pairs. In the full, unselected sample, this relationship was not significant. These results suggest that markedly different parent-child conflict has an environmentally mediated impact on child behavior through mid-adolescence, findings that yield insights into environmental influences on behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social learning influences on menstrual symptoms and illness behavior.

Tested the hypothesis that the sick role and modeling during childhood contribute to the way people react to bodily sensations relevant to illness, using data from 351 nursing students (aged 18–39 yrs) on how their mothers reacted to menstrual symptoms and cold symptoms during their adolescence and how their mothers behaved when they themselves had menstrual symptoms. 198 of the students' mothers answered the same questions. Students who had been encouraged to adopt a sick role for menses or whose mothers modeled menstrual distress reported significantly more menstrual symptoms, clinic visits, and disability days for these symptoms as adults. Those encouraged to adopt a sick role for colds or who lived with a chronically ill person reported more clinic visits and disability days for nongynecological symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interparental conflict and children's school adjustment: The explanatory role of children's internal representations of interparental and parent-child relationships.

This study examined how children's insecure internal representations of interparental and parent-child relationships served as explanatory mechanisms in multiple pathways linking interparental conflict and parent emotional unavailability with the emotional and classroom engagement difficulties the children had in their adjustment to school. With their parents, 229 kindergarten children (127 girls and 102 boys, mean age = 6.0 years, SD = .50, at Wave 1) participated in this multimethod, 3-year longitudinal investigation. Findings revealed that children's insecure representations of the interparental relationship were a significant intervening mechanism in associations between observational ratings of interparental conflict and child and teacher reports on children's emotional and classroom difficulties in school over a 2-year period. Moreover, increased parental emotional unavailability accompanying high levels of interparental conflict was associated with children's insecure representations of the parent-child relationship and children's difficulties in classroom engagement at school entry. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the intrinsic processes that contribute to difficulties with stage-salient tasks for children who are experiencing interparental discord. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chronic physical illness and sexual behavior: Psychological issues.

States that the impact of chronic physical illness on sexual behavior is often overlooked in clinical care and research and that psychological adaptations of patients and their partners are often ignored as contributing to sexual difficulties. A model of sexual behavior and chronic illness must take into account the mutual feedback mechanisms between biological and psychological disease-related processes. Chronic physical illness threatens basic personal resources—sexual identity and self-esteem, personal control over body functions, intimacy, and generativity—that affect sexual behavior after diagnosis. Psychological processes of cognitive appraisal, emotional expression, and coping strategies that are triggered by chronic disease play a vital role in sexual adaptations. Psychologists have a critical role to play in assessments and interventions as well as in providing guidance for other professionals in more effectively and sensitively meeting the sexual needs of seriously ill persons. (53 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of therapist behavior on people's mental illness judgments.

Asked 308 undergraduates to function in a judgmental activity assumed to correspond to the diagnostic activity of categorizing a target person as "mentally ill." Methodology and data collection were designed to elaborate the position that diagnosticians make attributions and impose already formed constructions when they engage in the social judgment situation that is assumed to be an objective categorizing endeavor. The behaviors of the target person, which are generally regarded as syndrome-identifying symptoms, were held constant, whereas the behavior of the interviewer varied in terms of his demonstrated "interest" in the target person's narration. Analysis of scores taken from semantic differential scales and a behavioral postdiction test show that Ss regarded the target person as more negative and more "maladjusted" when the interviewer enacted expected appropriate professional interest. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perception of physical attractiveness: Mechanisms involved in the maintenance of romantic relationships.

In 2 studies, factors involved in the perception of attractiveness of opposite-sex persons were examined. Investigation 1 revealed that individuals involved in dating relationships, relative to those not involved in them, tend to perceive opposite-sex persons as less physically and sexually attractive. Investigation 2 revealed that this dating effect was not attributable to differences in physical attractiveness, self-esteem, empathy, self-monitoring, or altruism between individuals who were and those who were not involved in exclusive dating relationships. Moreover, both groups perceived young/same-sex and older/opposite-sex persons as equally attractive, suggesting that the effect is specific to young/opposite-sex persons. Results are discussed in terms of possible proximate and ultimate explanations underlying relationship maintenance processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role relationships and behavior between preschool-aged and school-aged sibling pairs.

18 2.5–6.5 yr old and 18 7–9 yr old White sibling pairs were observed in their homes and yards while engaged in unstructured naturalistic activities. Each observation session lasted 35 min, and each child's behavior was coded separately. Roles were operationalized and observed as follows: teacher, learner, manager, managee, helper, helpee, and observer. Analyses showed that older siblings across both age groups assumed the manager and helper roles more often than their younger siblings, while younger siblings assumed the observer, managee, and helpee roles more often. School-aged female siblings directed more prosocial behavior toward one another than any other age group/gender combination. Preschool-aged male siblings directed more agonistic behavior toward one another than any other combination. Older school-aged females assumed the teacher role more often than any other older siblings, and younger school-aged females assumed the learner role more often than any other younger siblings. These results held even when an analysis that controlled for differences in interaction rates was performed, with 1 exception: Female siblings of school age directed more prosocial behavior to one another than did school-aged male siblings. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)