Moderating links of autonomy in family interactions on the relationship between teen preoccupation a

1
F. Christy McFarland, Melinda Schmidt, and Sally
Kaufmann University of Virginia
Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the
Society for Research in Child Development, Tampa,
Fl, April, 2003. The authors can be reached at
the Department of Psychology, PO Box 400400, 102
Gilmer Hall, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4400 or,
fcm7a_at_virginia.edu We would like to thank the
National Institute of Health for funding provided
to Joseph Allen, Principal Investigator, for the
conduct and write-up of this study.
2
Abstract

• This study examines relationships between
  observational assessments of mother-adolescent
  and father-adolescent relationships and
  adolescent popularity. Negative autonomy and
  relatedness aspects of both mother-adolescent and
  father-adolescent relationships were related to
  concurrent peer sociometric ratings of
  popularity. Positive aspects of the
  mother-adolescent relationship, as assessed
  during a supportive behavior task, were also
  related to concurrent peer sociometric ratings of
  popularity. Only positive autonomy and
  relatedness aspects of father-adolescent
  relationships were related to changes in peer
  sociometric ratings of popularity from age 13 to
  age 14.

3
Introduction

• Promoting Autonomy and Relatedness in
  interactions with parents has been linked to both
  increased social competence and better close
  friendships in adolescence (Allen et al., 1994)
• Being able to promote autonomy while maintaining
  relatedness in close relationships is a critical
  developmental task of adolescence. One way that
  adolescents may learn the skills necessary to do
  this is from their parents.
• Other important qualities of popular kids are
  their abilities to accurately perceive and
  respond to the needs of others (Steinberg 1999).
  These skills make them particularly sensitive to
  others needs and able to be supportive towards
  others. Adolescents may learn these behaviors
  from their parents first by learning to seek
  support, then by learning to give support
  (Crowell et. al, 2002).

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Introduction (cont.)

• Popularity is an important index of an
  adolescents functioning in their broad peer
  culture distinct from their functioning within
  specific friendships (Bukowski et al., 1996).
• Popularity in adolescence has been linked to both
  positive and negative adolescent outcomes.
  Popular adolescents are more likely to have close
  friends and more likely to be selected for
  positions of student leadership (Franzoi, Davis,
  Vasquez-Suson, 1994) Popularity has also been
  linked to adolescent tobacco use (Alexander et
  al. 2001), and eating disorders (Lieberman,
  Gauvin, Bukowski, White, 2001).

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Method

• Participants Multi-method, multi-reporter data
  were collected from a sample of 176 adolescents
  (82 males, 94 females), their mothers (n168) and
  their fathers (n77). Adolescents were recruited
  through a public middle school in the
  Southeastern United States (mean age at wave 1
  13.4 sd 0.65, mean age at wave 2 14.3 sd
  0.77 51.9 male, 38 minority, mean family
  income 30,000-39,000/yr).
• Measures
• Supportive Behavior Task Coding System (SBTCS).
  Mothers and teens behaviors were assessed
  during a structured six-minute interaction task
  in which teens described a problem with which
  they needed help. Interactions were coded using
  the SBTCS, developed by Allen, Hall, Insabella,
  Land, Marsh, and Porter (2001).
• The dyadic intimacy scale captures intimate
  disclosure and discussion between mother and
  teen, as well as calls for empathy or comfort by
  the teen and support and emotional availability
  on the part of the mother.

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Method (cont.)

• SBTCS (cont.)
• The dyadic warmth scale captures reciprocated
  warmth, caring, connectedness and attentiveness
  between mother and teen, as well as the teens
  level of satisfaction with the interaction and
  the mothers success at interpreting the teens
  problem.
• Popularity
• Adolescent popularity was assessed using a
  limited nomination sociometric measure, following
  the procedure described in Coie, Dodge,
  Coppotelli (1982). 420 adolescents (43 of the
  school) completed like and dislike ratings naming
  up to 10 people in their grade with whom they
  would most like to spend time on a Saturday night
  and up to another 10 people in their grade with
  whom they would least like to spend time. These
  ratings were compiled by grade and z-scores for
  the like ratings were used to form the
  adolescents popularity scores.

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Method (cont.)

• Autonomy and Relatedness Coding System (ARCS).
  Mothers, fathers and teens undermining and
  promotion of their own autonomy and relatedness
  were evaluated by applying the previously
  validated ARCS to ten minute mother-teen
  discussions in a disagreement task (Allen et al.,
  1995).
• The undermining of autonomy scale was based upon
  the use of behaviors which do not allow each
  party to comfortably express opposing views about
  the disagreement, including pressuring behaviors,
  focusing on personal characteristics rather than
  reasons, and placating or recanting during the
  discussion.
• The undermining of relatedness scale was based
  upon ignoring, distracting, or hostile behaviors
  which could leave the other person feeling worse
  about themselves, the speaker, or the
  relationship.

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Method (cont.)

• ARCS (cont.)
• The scale for promotion of autonomy was based
  upon the use of confident and reasoned arguments
  during the discussion.
• The promotion of relatedness scale captures the
  degree to which the speaker engages with, listens
  to, and validates the other person during the
  disagreement.
• Each occurrence of promotion or undermining of
  autonomy or relatedness was coded on a scale from
  zero to four, and scores were combined to provide
  overall scores for mothers undermining of
  autonomy and relatedness, teens undermining of
  autonomy and relatedness (combined to make a
  dyadic mother-teen score) fathers undermining
  of his own autonomy and relatedness, and fathers
  promotion of his own autonomy and relatedness.

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Results

• Table 1 provides simple correlations between
  variables.
• Tables 2 3 present results of cross-sectional
  hierarchical regressions demonstrating
  significantly higher teen popularity at age 13
  predicted by dyadic mother-teen warmth (DR2 .05,
  p lt.0001), and dyadic mother-teen intimacy
  (DR2.05, p lt.0001), observed in the Supportive
  Behavior Task.1
• 1 All regression equations accounted for
  minority status. Income was excluded due to its
  high correlation with minority status. Gender was
  excluded because it did not factor significantly
  into any of the analyses.

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Results (cont.)

• Tables 4 5 depict results of cross-sectional
  hierarchical regressions demonstrating
  significantly lower teen popularity at age 13
  predicted by dyadic mother-teen undermining of
  autonomy and relatedness (DR2.06, p lt.0001), and
  father-teen undermining of autonomy and
  relatedness (DR2.06, p lt.01), observed in the
  Autonomy-Relatedness Task.
• Table 6 denotes results of hierarchical
  regressions demonstrating change over time. After
  controlling for teens popularity at age 13,
  father-teen promoting of autonomy and relatedness
  at age 13 predicts increased teen popularity at
  age 14 (DR2.04, p lt.0001), observed in the
  Autonomy-Relatedness Task.

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Table 1. Variable Correlations
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Tables 2 3. Cross-sectional Regressions
Supportive Behavior Task
13
Tables 4 5. Cross-sectional Regressions
Autonomy-Relatedness Task
14
Table 6. Change Over Time Autonomy-Relatedness
Task
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Conclusions

• Certain aspects of relationships with both
  parents were related to concurrent adolescent
  popularity
• Positive mother to teen and teen to mother
  behaviors during a supportive behavior task are
  associated with adolescents who are more popular
  at age 13
• Fathers undermining autonomous-relatedness with
  their adolescents is related to teens being less
  popular at age 13
• Teen/mother dyads who undermine
  autonomous-relatedness are associated with teens
  being less popular at age 13
• Only fathers behavior towards the adolescent was
  related to changes in adolescent popularity over
  the next year
• Fathers who promoted autonomous-relatedness with
  their teens were associated with teens who became
  more popular over the next year

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Future Directions

• When the data on the supportive behavior task
  with fathers is available, we will use similar
  regression analyses to determine whether it is
  related to concurrent popularity, like the mother
  supportive behavior task data, or to longitudinal
  popularity, like the father autonomous-relatedness
  task data.
• Extend the current research as the teens continue
  through adolescence.
• In the future, we may consider including
  additional time points to better characterize the
  nuances of the development of adolescents
  supportive behavior and autonomous-relatedness.

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