Discrepancies in perceptions of close relationships of young adolescents: a risk for psychopathology?

The Role of Agreeableness, Neuroticism, and Relationship-Specific Features in Self- and Other-Perceptions of Conflict Frequency in Adolescent Relationships with Parents and Peers

Conflict frequency in adolescence has been linked to personality and relationship-specific features. However, an integrative investigation of both aspects is lacking. To address this gap, this study used data from 571 individuals in middle adolescence (Study 1; Mage = 15.86, SD = 1.23; 75.8% female) and 233 individuals in late adolescence (Study 2; Mage = 17.17, SD = 1.01; 75.5% female) in Germany, including participants' self-reports on conflict frequency and other-reports provided by parents and peers. Across studies, multigroup models revealed that adolescents' level of neuroticism predicted self- and other-perceived conflict frequency in parent and peer relationships more consistently than agreeableness, while providing no evidence for an interplay between both personality traits. Furthermore, relationship-specific features differentially accounted for individual differences in conflict frequency across relationship types, such that in adolescents' relationships with parents, lower relationship quality related to more frequent conflicts. In peer relationships, higher contact frequency was linked to more frequent conflicts. The present findings highlight the contributions of both personality and relationship-specific features to conflict frequency in adolescence and offer practical guidance for the improvement of adolescents' and their relationship partners' social skills and experiences. All research questions, hypotheses, and analyses of this research were preregistered at the OSF and can be retrieved from: https://osf.io/xmvqd/ .

Parenting Effects are in the Eye of the Beholder: Parent-Adolescent Differences in Perceptions Affects Adolescent Problem Behaviors

Although it is known that parents and adolescents hold different views regarding adolescent characteristics (e.g., inter-rater agreement on adolescent behaviors between parents and adolescents is low), we know little about parent-adolescent (dis)agreement in their perceptions of parenting. The current study used 220 parent-adolescent dyads (M _age = 13.3 years; 50.5 % female) to address this gap and examined how the discrepancy between parents' and adolescents' perceptions of the parent's negative reactions toward an adolescent's anger affects the adolescent's problem behaviors. Results suggested the direction of the disagreement between the two parties is important: when adolescents viewed parenting more negatively than parents did, adolescents showed elevated levels of broadband externalizing behaviors and, specifically, aggressive behaviors. This finding suggests the importance of adolescents' subjective views of how mothers and fathers react to them. The findings are discussed in terms of methodology in family studies and implications toward future research.

Discrepancies in Autonomy and Relatedness Promoting Behaviors of Substance Using Mothers and Their Children: The Effects of a Family Systems Intervention

Parents' and children's autonomy and relatedness behaviors are associated with a wide range of child outcomes. Yet, little is known about how parents and children's autonomy and relatedness behaviors jointly influence child outcomes. The current study captured this joint influence by exploring the longitudinal trajectory of mother-child discrepancies in autonomy and relatedness behaviors and its association with child problem behaviors. The effects of a family systems intervention on the trajectory of mother-child discrepancies were also examined. The sample included 183 substance using mothers and their children (M age = 11.54 years, SD = 2.55, range 8-16; 48 % females). Both the mother and child completed an assessment at baseline, 6- and 18-month post-baseline. A person-centered analysis identified subgroups varying in mother-child discrepancy patterns in their autonomy and relatedness behaviors. The results also showed that participation in the family systems therapy was associated with decreased mother-child discrepancies, and also a synchronous increase in mother's and child's autonomy and relatedness. Additionally, increased mother-child discrepancies and mother-child dyads showing no change in autonomy and relatedness was associated with higher levels of children's problem behaviors. The findings reveal a dynamic process of mother-child discrepancies in autonomy and relatedness behaviors related to child outcomes. The findings also support the effectiveness of the family systems therapy, and highlight the importance of understanding the complexities in family interactions when explaining children's problem behaviors.