Social development from infancy to adolescence: longitudinal and concurrent factors in an adoption sample.
In the present longitudinal study, early adopted children (N = 160) were followed from infancy to adolescence to assess the influence of previous and concurrent factors on the children's social development. This study allowed for more conclusive evidence of the influence of early and concurrent rearing experiences and temperament on adolescents' social development, independent of shared genetic factors between children and parents. Results showed that social development and temperament were stable over time and that both previous and current parental sensitivity were important in predicting social development in adolescence. Quality of the early parent-child relationship was indirectly associated with social development in adolescence through the influence on social development in middle childhood. Maternal sensitivity in middle childhood and in adolescence partly buffered the negative effects of difficult temperament on social development in adolescence. Adaptation emerged as the product of both developmental history and current circumstances.
Jaffari-Bimmel
Nicole
N
Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Juffer
Femmie
F
van Ijzendoorn
Marinus H
MH
Bakermans-Kranenburg
Marian J
MJ
Mooijaart
Ab
A
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010553:Personality Development; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012922:Social Change; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors