Assessment of Bidirectional Influences Between Family Relationships and Adolescent Problem Behavior

Abstract

Abstract. In family research, bidirectional influences between the family and the individual are usually analyzed in discrete time. Results from discrete time analysis, however, have been shown to be highly dependent on the length of the observation interval. Continuous time analysis using stochastic differential equations has been proposed to circumvent this problem. The present study examined the bidirectional influences between family relationships and adolescent problem behavior by means of both discrete- and continuous-time cross-lagged panel analysis. The effect of the length of the observation interval on the results from both procedures was investigated. Data were collected from a community sample of 288 Dutch families consisting of a father, a mother, and two of their adolescent children. Whereas results from discrete time analyses differed considerably when a 2-year instead of a 1-year interval between measurements was used, results from continuous time analysis appeared to be less affected by the length of the observation interval. Continuous time analysis revealed family relationship characteristics and levels of adolescent problem behavior to be highly stable over time. Relatively small cross-lagged effects were found between family relationships and adolescent problem behaviors.

Attachment stability and change during adolescence: A longitudinal application of the Social Relations Model

“…This finding is consistent with Delsing et al (2005), who found that family justice was very stable over time. Other studies have also shown that family-level interaction does not change much over time (Godley et al, 2005).…”

Symptoms and Behavior Problems of Adolescents and Adults With Autism: Effects of Mother–Child Relationship Quality, Warmth, and Praise

“…Cross-lagged models are frequently utilized in family research to consider bidirectional effects of family characteristics and children's behavior (Delsing, Oud, & Bruyn, 2005), including studies of families with children who have developmental disabilities (Greenberg, Seltzer et al, 2006; Orsmond, Seltzer, Krauss, & Hong, 2003). We used LISREL 8.54 to test 6 two-wave, cross-lagged models.…”

Children with Different Levels of Hope: Are There Differences in Their Self-esteem, Life Satisfaction, Social Support, and Family Cohesion?

“…The bidirectional view of child socialization implies that family functioning and parents influence the child's adjustment, which in turn influences the family functioning and behaviour of parents (Bell 1968). Although most previous studies have emphasized the effects of family functioning on children, few studies have examined the effects of child and his adjustment on family in longitudinal studies (e.g., Delsing et al 2005;Shek 1998Shek , 2005. Shek (1998Shek ( , 2005 found that adolescent psychological well-being is predictive of family functioning over time.…”