Associations between adolescent-mother and adolescent-best friend interactions.
The present study examined associations between adolescent-mother and adolescent-best friend interactions during conflict resolution tasks. Adolescents (N = 39) were videotaped while discussing unresolved problems with their mothers and then with their best friends. Mothers' behavior with adolescents and adolescents' behavior with mothers and with best friends were coded for conflict, withdrawal, communication skills, support-validation, and problem-solving. Mothers' communication and support-validation with adolescents was positively associated with adolescents' communication and support-validation with best friends, respectively. However, their behavior was not identical. Mothers were more communicative and supportive with adolescents than adolescents were with their best friends. Second, adolescents' withdrawal and support-validation with mothers was positively associated with their withdrawal and support-validation with best friends, respectively. However, they exhibited less withdrawal with their mothers than with their best friends. Possible explanations for these findings, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.
Black
Katherine A
KA
Department of Psychology, University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut 06117, USA. kablack@mail.hartford.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009513:New Hampshire; D010379:Peer Group; D011340:Problem Solving; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D014743:Videotape Recording