Adolescent Psychology

1. Adolescent Psychology Chapter 8: Families Lecture 2

2. Emerging Adult Relationship with Parents • Generally improves when they leave home • Psychologically closer • Share more • More autonomous/less struggle • Continued parental support… • Separation without “cutting off” • Problems with “cutting off” • Living arrangements • Leaving home “on time” – more securely attached (21/23) • “returners” • Strategies for parents & emerging adults

3. Sibling Roles • Approximately 80% of American adolescents have 1+ siblings • Conflict, helping, teaching, fighting, playing, support, rivals, teammates • What do siblings spend their time talking about? • Three important characteristics of sibling relationships to consider: • Emotional quality of the relationship • + and - • Familiarity & intimacy of the relationship • Know each other well! • Considerable variation in sibling relationships

4. Siblings • Parental favoritism – 65 – 70% • Self-esteem & sadness • Socialization • High sibling conflict • Parental ineffectiveness • Antisocial bx & peer relationships • Depression vs. social competence

5. Siblings & Birth Order • Birth order linked to • Individual characteristics • Siblings’ relationships with each other • Firstborns • More adult oriented; Helpful, conforming; Anxious; Self-controlled • Less aggressive than their siblings • What are later-borns like? • Can occupy so many different sibling positions. • Overall, usually enjoy better relations with peers than firstborns • Last-borns run the risk of becoming overly dependent – “the baby” • Middle-borns: more diplomatic, role of negotiator, “scapegoat” • Do you think Birth Order is important? Why?

6. “Family” in a Changing Society • Divorced Families • Stepfamilies • Working Parents • Adoption • Gay Male & Lesbian Parents • Culture

7. Divorced Families • Changed dramatically in U. S. & many other countries in the late 20th century • Increased 60s – 70s; declined since 80s • 40% born to married parents will experience divorce • Adolescents’ Adjustment in Divorced Families • Show poorer adjustment than their counterparts in non-divorced families • Academic problems and /or drop out of school • Externalized problems /Internalized problems • Less-competent intimate relationships; Become sexually active at an earlier age • Drug related problems; Associate with antisocial peers • Lower self-esteem (Conger & Chao, 1996; Hetherington, 2005; Hetherington & Kelly, 2002).

8. Emotional Problems & Divorce

9. Adolescents & Divorce • Should parents stay together for the sake of their children? • Unhappy marriage can be harmful to well-being of children. • Diminished resources can be harmful to children. • Marital conflict may have negative consequences for children & adolescents in the context of marriage or divorce • Family processes matter a great deal! • When the divorced parents have a harmonious relationship & use authoritative parenting  better adjustment of adolescents (remember co-parenting) • Secure attachment also matters

10. Adolescents & Divorce • Individual Adolescent Risk Factors • Age of onset of the divorce • Adolescent’s adjustment prior to the divorce • Personality & temperament • Developmental status • Gender • Custody • Relocation • SES – decrease in income, increased work, etc.

11. Stepfamilies • Steady increase of remarriages involving children in recent years • Stepfamily structure • Stepfather • Stepmother • Blended or complex • Stepfamilies Types – Relationship Patterns (Bray, Berger, & Boethel,1999) • Neo-traditional: both adults want family; 3-5 years look like intact family • Matriarchal: mother runs family, stepfather is bystander; may have “turf” issues • Romantic: unrealistic expectations  divorce

12. Stepfamilies & Adolescent Adjustment • Boundary ambiguity makes adjustment difficult • Who is in/out of the family • Who is performing/ responsible for certain tasks in the family system • Early adolescence is an especially difficult time for the formation of a stepfamily (Bray & Kelly, 1998).

13. Working Parents • What matters for adolescent development is the nature of parents’ work rather than whether one parent works outside the home (Clarke-Stewart, 2006). • Self-Care/Latchkey Adolescents • Typically do not see their parents from the time they leave for school in the morning until about 6:00 or 7:00 P.M. • Some have negative experience

14. Adoption Social & legal process by which a parent-child relationship is established between persons unrelated at birth. • Changes in adoption practice in last several decades of 20th century • Substantial decrease in the number of healthy, non-Latino White infants have become available for adoption. • Other prospective adoptive parents began considering adopting foster children • Changes characterize adoptive parents • Adopted children & adolescents often show more psychological & school-related problems than non-adopted children (Brodzinsky & others, 1984).

15. Adoption • Keys to effectively parenting adopted adolescents very similar to those for effectively parenting biological adolescents: • Be supportive & caring • Be involved & monitor the adolescent’s behavior & whereabouts • Be a good communicator • Help the adolescent learn to develop self-control

16. Gay & Lesbian Parents • 1 million + GLB parents in U.S. today • Important to consider sexual identity of parents at the time of a child’s birth or adoption (Patterson, 2002). • Few differences in children & adolescents growing up with gay fathers & lesbian mothers (Patterson, 2006; Patterson & Hastings, 2007). • Adjustment • Sexual orientation • Mental health • Peer relationships

17. Gay & Lesbian Parents

18. Culture & Ethnicity • Cross-Cultural Comparisons • Cultures vary on a number of issues involving families. • Most common pattern was a warm & controlling style; neither permissive nor restrictive • Love and moderate parental control • In some countries, authoritarian parenting continues to be widely practiced (Rothbaum & Trommsdorff, 2007) • There are trends toward greater family mobility • Migration • Commuting • Mother’s employment • Fewer extended family members nearby

19. Ethnicity & Parenting • Ethnic minority families differ from non-Latino White American • In their size • Structure & composition • Reliance on kinship networks • Level of income & education (Harwood & Feng, 2006; Nievar & Luster, 2006). • Large & extended families are more common • AA & Latino children interact more with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, & more distant relatives (McAdoo, 2006). • Ethnic minority adolescents are more likely to come from low-income families (Magnuson & Duncan, 2002; McLoyd, Aikens, & Burton, 2006; Parke & Buriel, 2006). • Single-parent families are more common among AA & Latinos

20. What can parents do? • Competent adolescent development is most likely to happen when adolescents have parents who: • show them warmth & respect • demonstrate sustained interest in their lives • recognize & adapt to their changing cognitive & socio-emotional development • communicate expectations for high standards of conduct & achievement • display authoritative, constructive ways of dealing with problems & conflict.

21. Families, Adolescents, & Social Policy • School, cultural arts, religious/youth organizations, & health-care • involve parents in activities with adolescents • develop ways to engage parents & adolescents in activities they both enjoy • Professionals (teachers, psychologists, nurses, physicians, etc.) • work with the individual adolescent • Also, increase the time they spend interacting with the adolescent’s family • Employers • workplace policies now reserved only for the parents of young children • flexible work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, & part-time work with benefits • free parents to spend more time with their teenagers. • Community institutions (businesses, schools, & youth organizations) • providing after-school programs-- such programs for adolescents are rare • More high-quality, community-based programs for adolescents • after- school, weekend, & vacation time periods

22. Additional Resources • National Stepfamily Resource Center www.stepfamilies.info • Big Brothers Big Sisters of America www.bbbsa.org • Your Book Online! http://www.mhhe.com/santrocka13e