The transition from high school is a pivotal period for intergenerational relations, as the asymmetry characterizing pre-transition relations with parents is reconfigured. Changes in adolescent-parent relations across this transition have potentially important implications for post-transition adjustment. A prospective study was conducted with an ethnically diverse sample that included adolescents who were not college-bound. Maternal, but not paternal, relations improved across the transition from high school to adult life. Changes in support from both mothers and fathers were associated with changes in relationship satisfaction and changes in satisfaction predicted post-transition adjustment. The results verify the importance of parental support to the quality of relational bonds between young adults and their parents. They also affirm the significance of these bonds for post-transition adjustment.

In a study of troublesome relationships, 343 university students and employees were surveyed. Issues addressed were the frequency, nature and precursors of negative relationship experiences. Over half of the respondents (55.7%) reported a very troublesome relationship within the previous 5 years. These were most often close relationships that deteriorated markedly as a result of the experience. Negative relationship involvement was related to insecure styles of attachment. Those with an insecure-avoidant attachment style were also more prone to use alcohol or drugs to cope with the troubled relationship and they were more likely to end the relationship. The results support the view that a history of poor attachment relations may compromise later relationships. However, the attachment effects were modest and the pervasiveness of troublesome relationship encounters suggests that these are an ubiquitous part of the human experience.

Temperament is a theoretical concept used to understand individual's behavioral styles. In this study, temperament was measured in 13-month-old infants (N = 51) and their mothers, who were also observed together in a teaching situation. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationships between maternal and infant temperaments and interactive behaviors in the teaching situation. Mothers were given 10 minutes to teach infants four tasks designed to assess qualitative aspects of the interaction. In general, the interaction between mother and infant had a synchronous quality that was influenced by, but largely independent of, the temperamental characteristics of mother and infant. Responsive maternal teaching behaviors were significantly related to positive infant affect during teaching. Weak relationships were found between the temperament variables and interactive behaviors in the teaching situation. When mothers and infants were matched on temperament characteristics, no effects of matching temperaments on interactive behaviors in the teaching situation were found. These findings suggest that mothers are able to adjust their behaviors to compensate for their infant's temperament. Based on these data, nurses can focus on the dynamics of the interactions themselves and avoid making judgments based on temperament alone when evaluating mother-infant relationships.