Antecedents and Outcomes of Joint Trajectories of Mother–Son Conflict and Warmth During Middle Childhood and Adolescence

Abstract

This study investigated the development of mother-son relationship quality from ages 5 to 15 in a sample of 265 low-income families. Non-parametric random effects modeling was utilized to uncover distinct and homogeneous developmental trajectories of conflict and warmth; antecedents and outcomes of the trajectory groups also were examined. Four conflict trajectory groups and three warmth trajectory groups were identified. Difficult temperament in early childhood discriminated both conflict and warmth trajectory group membership (TGM), and adult relationship quality in early childhood was related to warmth trajectories. In addition, conflict TGM differentiated youth antisocial behavior during adolescence, and warmth trajectories predicted adolescent peer relationship quality and youth moral disengagement. Implications for socialization processes are discussed.

Callous-Unemotional Behavior and Early-Childhood Onset of Behavior Problems: The Role of Parental Harshness and Warmth

“…Each item was rated on a five-point Likert scale (1 = definitely not; 2 = not really; 3 = not sure; 4 = somewhat true; 5 = definitely true). A previous study using both the warmth/openness and conflict subscales of the ACRS has shown them to be predictive of later antisocial behavior and social skills (Trentacosta et al, 2011). In the current sample, the warmth/openness subscale had acceptable internal consistency at age 3 ( α = .68).…”

Parent–Child Conflict and Early Childhood Adjustment in Two-Parent Low-Income Families: Parallel Developmental Processes

“…The chronically high and high decreasing conflict groups demonstrated higher rates of antisocial behaviors at age 15 compared to the moderate and low conflict groups, suggesting that how conflict changes over time differentially impacts adolescent problem behavior. Taken together, the work of Burt et al [16], Klahr et al [19], and Trentacosta et al [15] suggests that the presence of elevated parent–child conflict during the school-age period and early adolescence is related to later child behavior problems. Investigating co-occurring parent–child conflict and child maladjustment during early childhood has the potential to shed light on how these processes unfold together when both the parent–child relationship and children’s repertoire for responding to interpersonal conflict are rapidly developing.…”

“…Similarities between parent–child conflict and harsh parenting include the expression of negative parental affect, intrusive behaviors, and even aggression [8–12]. In contrast, parent–child conflict is comprised of mutual negative behaviors of both the parent and child (e.g., [13–15]). Whereas there are similarities in parenting behaviors in both constructs, the review below focuses primarily on studies of parent–child conflict where both parent and child behavior have been explicitly considered, especially those studies focusing on parent–child coercive processes.…”

“…The bulk of research on parent–child conflict has focused on predominantly white, middle-class samples (e.g., Burt et al, El-Sheik et al, Harrist & Ainslie), with the notable exceptions of the previously discussed work of preschool children by Ingoldsby et al [17] and recent research by Sentse and Laird [23] and Trentacosta et al [15], both of which focused on adolescents. Previous research in the area of family processes has demonstrated important differences in associations between family processes and child behavior based on race [8] and income differences [25, 26].…”

“…In contrast, Klahr et al [19] found that among a sample of predominantly white adoptive families, parent–child conflict predicted the development of conduct problems 4 years later, but conduct problems did not predict increased parent–child conflict, suggesting that the parent–child relationship is the driving force in the emergence of conduct problems, as opposed to the child’s behavior evoking negative parental interactions. Furthermore, Trentacosta et al [15] found that there were four distinct trajectory groups of mother–son conflict from middle childhood to adolescence among a sample of at-risk, ethnically diverse families. Specifically, high stable, high decreasing, moderate, and low conflict groups were identified.…”