Our study examined variations in adolescent adjustment as a function of maternal and paternal parenting styles. Participants included 272 students in grades 9 and 11 from a public high school in a metropolitan area of the Northeastern US. Participants completed measures of maternal and paternal parenting styles and indices of psychological adjustment. Authoritative mothering was found to relate to higher self-esteem and life-satisfaction and to lower depression. Paternal parenting styles was also related to psychological adjustment, however, although the advantage of authoritative mothering over permissive mothering was evident for all outcomes assessed, for paternal styles the advantage was less defined and only evident for depression. Our study highlights the importance of examining process-oriented agents as part of the broader interest in well-being variations in adolescents.

This study examines how the compensatory effects of social support received from siblings relate to psychological adjustment in emerging adulthood. Participants completed measures of social support from a variety of sources and several indicators of well-being. Sibling support was associated with lower loneliness and depression and with higher self-esteem and life satisfaction. Also, sibling support compensated for low parental and peer support. Sibling support compensated for low support from mothers for depression and self-esteem. Sibling support compensated for low support from fathers for loneliness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Finally, sibling support partially compensated for low support from friends for all of the well-being measures and completely compensated for self-esteem, depression, and life satisfaction. The potential benefits of sibling support warrant a closer examination of the wide-ranging issues involved in sibling relations.KEY WORDS: adjustment • compensatory effects • compensatory patterns • emerging adulthood • sibling support • well-being Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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Children's social networks often include close family members, extended family members, and friends, but little is known about interindividual differences in the patterning of support from these sources. In this study, we used person-oriented analyses to differentiate patterns of support for children undergoing the transition to adolescence. Social network and adjustment data were collected for an ethnically diverse sample of 691 fourth-and sixth-grade children, with a two-year follow-up. Cluster analyses identified one pattern of support from both close family members and friends, a second pattern of support from both close and extended family members, and a third pattern of support primarily from close family members alone. Participants receiving support from close family in combination with either extended family or friends were better adjusted than were those without multiple support resources. The results suggest that a meaningful typology of children's social networks can be developed.

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