title: Self-concept clarity across adolescence: longitudinal associations with open communication with parents and internalizing symptoms.
abstract: Higher self-concept clarity is related to several adjustment indices and may be promoted by open communication with parents, while problems with self-concept clarity development could enhance internalizing problems (i.e., depressive and anxiety symptoms) in adolescence. This longitudinal study examined linkages between self-concept clarity, adolescents' open communication with parents, and adolescent depressive and anxiety symptoms. Dutch youths (N = 323; 51.1 % girls; mean age Time 1 = 13.3 years) reported on these constructs over four consecutive annual measurements. Concurrent positive links between open communication and self-concept clarity were found at Time 1. Over time, higher levels of open communication with parents predicted higher self-concept clarity only in middle adolescence (mean age between 14 and 15 years). We also found concurrent associations between self-concept clarity and both depressive and anxiety symptoms. Longitudinally, lower self-concept clarity predicted relatively higher levels of depressive symptoms across all waves, and also higher anxiety levels from Time 1 to Time 2. Conversely, higher levels of anxiety also predicted lower levels of self-concept clarity during the first three waves. Self-concept clarity did not mediate the longitudinal associations between open communication and internalizing symptoms. This study is one of the first to investigate self-concept clarity across adolescence. It highlights the possible importance of both anxiety symptoms and communication with parents in understanding the development of a clear self-concept, and demonstrates an association between lower self-concept clarity and higher levels of later depressive and anxiety symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre Adolescent Development, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands, M.P.A.vanDijk@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Marloes P A
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Van Dijk
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Branje
authors.forename: Loes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keijsers
authors.forename: Skyler T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Hawk
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Hale
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meeus
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D041923:Adolescent Development; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification