Family Relationships Samuel R. Mathews, Ph.D. Department of Psychology The University of West Florida

Family Relationships Family Systems – Multiple dyadic relationships – Changes in individual impact changes in multiple dyads and can create disequilibrium – Disequilibrium can result in both positive and negative outcomes – What are some sources of disequilibrium?

Parental Development in Midlife Climacteric—changes in functioning of sex organs – Males—reduced level of testosterone – Females—reduced levels of estrogen Sociocultural changes – Potentially higher levels of professional/career responsibilities – Changes in peer groups for parents – Facing expenses (e.g. college expenses; mortgages, health care) – Higher levels of satisfaction as adolescents become more autonomous

Sibling Relationships Multiple and Potentially Overlapping Relationships – Caregiver – Buddy – Critical – Rival – Casual Relationships move from critical/rival to more buddy/casual across childhood and adolescence With family change (e.g. divorce) relationships can get closer

Extended Family Relationships Traditional Cultures (e.g. Kyrgyzstan): – Single children frequently live with parents until marriage – Females tend to move to male’s village and home upon marriage – Marriage is younger – Ties close with extended family (e.g. grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) – Closeness with extended family members similar among USA minority groups – European adolescents show similar closeness

Extended Family Relationships Divorce or Death of a Parent: – Relationship with grandparents becomes closer – With maternal custody upon divorce, maternal grandfather assumes aspects of father role – Extended family members fill multiple roles

Parenting Styles: Diana Baumrind Parenting defined by two dimensions: – Responsiveness—warmth, caring, sensitive, supportive – Demandingness—expectations, supervising, monitoring

Parenting Style: Authoritarian Low responsiveness High demandingness Characteristics – Corporal punishment, severe sanctions against infractions – High expectations with Low support – Decisions are not open to discussion – Rationales are not provided

Parenting Style: Authoritarian Child & Adolescent Outcomes: – Rigid in perspective – Lack problem-solving skills – Likely not eager to make difficult decisions – Passive – Dependent – Conforming (looks to powerful peer groups)

Parenting Style: Permissive—Indulgent High responsiveness Low demandingness Characteristics: – Few rules or boundaries – Adolescent is not accountable for behavioral outcomes – Responds positively to most requests made by the adolescent – Few negative consequences for problem behaviors – Inappropriately involves adolescent in parental lives

Parenting Style: Permissive—Indulgent Child & Adolescent Outcomes: – Poor emotional control – Low persistence to difficult or unpopular tasks – Frequent externalizing behavior when desires are denied – Poor decision-making skills – Blurred boundaries between adolescent and parent

Parenting Style: Disengaged (neglectful, indifferent) Characteristics: – Inconsistent discipline based on impact of behavior on parents’ own activities and preferences – Few rules or boundaries – Punishment, when given, can be harsh – Low parental monitoring

Parenting Style: Disengaged (neglectful, indifferent) Child & Adolescent Outcomes: – Low levels of performance in social and academic domains – Frequently poor emotional control – Typically lacks clear understanding of contingency of outcomes on behaviors – May seek out peers for support with little attention to norms of the peer group

Parenting Style: Authoritative High responsiveness High demandingness Characteristics: – Sets consistent and reasonable boundaries for adolescents’ behaviors – Uses reason and discussion as first option for discipline – Low-to-no use of corporal punishment – Models civil discussion – Monitors adolescents’ behaviors – Allows adolescents’ involvement in family decisions – Maintains parental role with little or no enmeshment

Parenting Style: Authoritative Child & Adolescent Outcomes: – Higher levels of achievement in social and academic domains – Recognizes relationship between behaviors and outcomes – Adaptive level of emotional control – Develops adaptive decision-making skills – Lower levels of psychological distress – Appropriate peer relationships

Parenting Style: Traditional Parenting High Responsiveness High Demandingness Characteristics – Compliance with cultural and traditional demands with little or no negotiation – High levels of warmth & closeness – High levels of family interdependence – Likely associated with collectivist cultures – Demandingness linked to narrow socialization

Parenting Style: Traditional Parenting Child & Adolescent Outcomes: – Generally positive within the cultural boundaries – May experience stress as cultural borders are crossed (e.g. schooling; dating)

Adolescent Individual Differences: A Complex View of Parenting Within families parenting can vary – Among siblings based on individual differences – Within individual based on developmental change (e.g. puberty) – Within individual based on situational change (e.g. peer groups, schooling) The relationship between parent and adolescent is bidirectional and reciprocal Siblings can experience variation in family environments

Attachment and Parenting Attachment: close, committed and secure emotional relationship with another (usually caregiver) – Secure attachment: relationship that allows for exploration and which is used for comfort and soothing given distress – Insecure attachment: relationship within which there is uncertainty, wariness, and resistance to comforting and soothing behaviors

Attachment and Parenting Secure attachment related to positive outcomes in adolescence Balance between autonomy and relatedness is reached in secure attachment Early attachment (infancy) is moderated and modified by forces in the environment

Parent-Adolescent Conflict Generally disputes are over minor (in the great scheme of things) issues Adolescents generally like their parents Level of conflict changes across adolescence – Early and middle adolescence tends to be associated with higher levels of conflict – Late adolescence and emerging adulthood tend to be associated with reduced levels of conflict

Parent-Adolescent Conflict Related to: – Increased cognitive capability to construct more complex and involved arguments – Relative control over issues perceived by adolescent to be personal choices – Parents’ coding themes around risks for harmful outcomes in themes related to personal choice (e.g. choice of peers instead of risk for drug and criminal involvement; romantic relations instead of risk for STD’s)

Parent-Adolescent Conflict Conflict is minimized and has more positive outcome if parent-adolescent relationship is renegotiated across the adolescent years What parenting style is most likely associated with renegotiation?

Culture and Conflict with Parents “Cultures can take the raw material of nature and shape it in highly diverse ways.” (Arnett, 2010, pg 193). – The biological change that is related to conflict with parents leads to quite different levels and sources of conflict across cultures – Narrow socialization, as within collectivist cultures, leads to less conflict and adherence to parental and generational authority

Emerging Adults’(EA) Relationship with Parents In USA, frequently associated with residing outside the home for the first time Parents frequently lose direct control and monitoring capabilities EA’s who reside outside the home typically report more positive relationships with parents EA’s who return to their family of origin for residence typically have a decline in relationships.

Emerging Adults’(EA) Relationship with Parents In other cultures, – EA’s tend to live with family of origin longer – EA’s tend to maintain positive relationships

Historical Change and the Family Increase in divorce rate Increase in two wage-earner families Increase in single family households

Divorce, Remarriage, Single Parenthood, & Dual Wage-Earner Examining the impact of divorce: – Family Structure – Family Process Family conflict prior to divorce linked to problems following divorce Post-divorce relationship between parents linked to adolescent outcomes Reaction of custodial parent linked to adolescent outcomes

Divorce, Remarriage, Single Parenthood, & Dual Wage-Earner Post-divorce relationship between parents linked to adolescent outcomes – Consistent parenting practices  positive outcomes – Civil relationships between divorced parents  positive outcomes

Divorce, Remarriage, Single Parenthood, & Dual Wage-Earner Reaction of custodial parent linked to adolescent outcomes – Enmeshed Relationship (blurred boundaries between parent and adolescent)  linked to negative outcomes – Reduced parental monitoring  linked to negative outcomes – Economic stress  lack of opportunity  linked to negative outcomes – Maternal remarriage  can be related to negative outcomes

Single Parenthood Parents (typically mothers) who have raise children alone experience challenges to family process factors – Adaptive levels of parental monitoring, economic opportunity, attachment, and overall parenting style can lead to positive outcomes – Economic stressors can add to the challenges – Extended families can mitigate many challenges

Dual Wage-Earner Families Few differences observed over time in adolescents from dual earner families Differences may stem from motivation for work – Parents who feel trapped in an unsatisfying job and feel great pressure to work tend to be related to adolescents with poorer outcomes – Mothers who feel fulfilled and work outside the home by preference tend to have daughters who are well adjusted and have positive outcomes

Physical and Sexual Abuse in the Family Florida Abuse Hotline: ABUSE – Individuals who work in a professional capacity with children are required to report suspicion of abuse Physical Abuse: abuse in the form of harm to body of a non-sexual nature Sexual Abuse: abuse with sexual overtones

Physical Abuse in the Family Abusive parents tend to have experienced harsh if not abusive families themselves Caution in interpretation: most individuals who were abused DO NOT abuse their children. Families in distress are more likely to have physical abuse (e.g. economic, psychological, health stressors) Males more likely than females to be physically abused Abused adolescents: more aggressive, depressed, other problem behavior

Sexual Abuse in the Family Females more likely than males to be sexually abused Abusive fathers not likely to be aggressive Abusive fathers awkward and insecure in social relationships Distant relationship with spouse/partner

Sexual Abuse in the Family Abused adolescent: – Violation of trust – Difficulty in relationships – Extreme sexual reactions (avoidant/promiscuous) – Higher risk for Substance abuse Psychological disorders Suicidal ideation and attempts

Runaways & Throwaways Runaway Criteria: – Child leaves home without permission and stays overnight – Child 14 years or younger leaves home without permission and chooses not to come home when expected to and stays away overnight – Child 15 years old or older who is away from home and chooses not to come home when expected to and stays away overnight

Runaways & Throwaways Throwaway Criteria: – Child is asked or told to leave home by a parent or other household adult, no adequate alternative care is arranged, and the child is out of the household overnight – Child who is away from home is prevented from returning home by a parent or other household adult, no adequate alternative care is arranged, and the child is out of the household overnight.

Runaways & Throwaways Runaways’/Throwaways’ Families: – Abusive situations (approx 70% of runaways) – Conflict with parents – Conflict between parents – Alcoholism and other drug abuse by parents – Parental neglect

Runaways & Throwaways Attributes of the adolescent Runaway/Throwaway – Problems with substance abuse – Criminal/Delinquent activity – Problems/conflict at school – Psychological problems (e.g. depression) – Gay/Lesbian/Transgendered Long-term Runaways/Throwaways (weeks/months) prey for exploitation

Global Problems: Street Children Displacement by war, famine Family poverty Kidnapping for exploitation Gender-based exploitation

Discussion Exercise Please read the piece at the website below and be ready to use it in our class discussion on Chapter 7 (Family Relationships). elingLonelyAndUnwanted.html

As read the piece by “F,” how might her take relate to what you read about families (structure, process) and their relationship to adolescents’ experiences of distress and risk.