Resilience and Disruption in Observed Family Interactions in Youth With and Without Spina Bifida: An Eight-Year, Five-Wave Longitudinal Study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine differences between families of youth with spina bifida (SB) and families of typically developing (TD) youth on family-, parent-, and youth-level variables across preadolescence and adolescence.


METHODS
Participants were 68 families of youth with SB and 68 families of TD youth. Ratings of observed family interactions were collected every 2 years at 5 time points (Time 1: ages 8-9 years; Time 5: ages 16-17 years).


RESULTS
For families of youth with SB: families displayed less cohesion and more maternal psychological control during preadolescence (ages 8-9 years); parents presented as more united and displayed less dyadic conflict, and youth displayed less conflict behavior during the transition to adolescence (ages 10-13 years); mothers displayed more behavioral control during middle (ages 14-15 years) and late (ages 16-17 years) adolescence; youth displayed less engagement and more dependent behavior at every time point.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings highlight areas of resilience and disruption in families of youth with SB across adolescence.
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago jlenno2@luc.edu.
Jaclyn M
JM
Lennon
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago.
Caitlin B
CB
Murray
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago.
Colleen F
CF
Bechtel
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago.
Grayson N
GN
Holmbeck
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000523:psychology*
adolescence; family; observational data; parenting; preadolescence; resilience; spina bifida.