Associations between mother–child relationship quality and adolescent adjustment

Abstract

This study used a genetically controlled design to examine the direction and the magnitude of effects in the over–time associations between perceived relationship quality with mothers and adolescent maladjustment (i.e., depressive symptoms and delinquency). A total of 163 monozygotic (MZ) twins pairs (85 female pairs, 78 male pairs) completed questionnaires at ages 13 and 14. Non–genetically controlled path analyses models (in which one member of each twin dyad was randomly selected for analyses) were compared with genetically controlled path analyses models (in which MZ–twin difference scores were included in analyses). Results from the non–genetically controlled models revealed a) child–driven effects in the longitudinal associations between adolescent perceived maternal support and depressive symptoms, and b) parent–driven and child–driven effects in the longitudinal association between perceived maternal negativity and adolescent delinquent behaviors. However, results from the genetically controlled models revealed only child–driven effect, suggesting that, purported parent–driven effects were a product of error arising from potential gene–environment correlations (rGE).

Parental characteristics and offspring mental health and related outcomes: a systematic review of genetically informative literature

“…Focusing on positive parenting, factors such as parental knowledge of offspring whereabouts, good parent–child relationship quality, positive reinforcement, and warm parenting were associated with fewer externalising problems 50 – 52 , 59 , 64 , whereas there were no associations between parental positive reinforcement and ADHD symptoms 52 , or maternal support and offspring delinquent behaviour 65 . Investigation of possible gene-environmental correlation between parenting and offspring externalising behaviours in adoption samples found no passive or evocative rGE effects in the associations between parental knowledge and offspring externalising behaviours 59 , whereas one study reported an evocative rGE showing that parental hostility was evoked by genetically influenced offspring behaviour 61 , and another reported child-to-parent effects on maternal support and negativity 65 . As well as highlighting the bidirectionality of parent–offspring associations, these studies show that associations between parenting and offspring outcomes vary by phenotype and no single explanation fits all parenting–offspring associations.…”

“…These findings are compatible with previous literature which shows a moderate impact of offspring’s genetically influenced behaviours on parenting factors 118 , 119 . In instances where evocative rGE effects were not observed, child-to-parent effects were sometimes still present 19 , 28 , 30 , 32 , 36 , 65 . These findings highlight the bidirectional and dynamic nature of parent–offspring associations, with child-to-parent effects, as well as parent-to-child effects, and also show the importance of cross-lagged models in modelling parent–offspring associations over time.…”

The Influence of Economic Pressure on Emerging Adult Binge Drinking: Testing the Family Stress Model over Time

“…In addition, although studies have applied the Family Stress Model to predict substance use in adolescence, most have used cross-sectional data which limits temporal ordering of causal influences (Conger et al, 1991). Moreover, many studies have merged parenting of mothers and fathers (Piko & Balázs, 2012), have solely focused on the mother-child relationship (Guimond et al, 2016), or have not taken parent alcohol use into account (Conger et al, 1991). Finally, it is important to investigate the continuity of alcohol use from adolescence to emerging adulthood (Varlinskaya, Truxell, & Spear, 2014) in rural samples as research indicates that rural youth may be at higher risk for alcohol use disorders than those from urban settings (Gale, Lenardson, Lambert, & Hartley, 2012).…”

Differences in Internalizing Symptoms Anticipate Adolescent Friendship Dissolution

“…Differences between friends in internalizing behaviors seem to be a disruptive force. As suggested by interpersonal models, anxious and depressed individuals create an aversive and stressful social environment (Rudolph et al, 2000), in which the better adjusted partner may initially respond to the less well-adjusted friend by increasing social support to levels that eventually prove unsustainable (Coyne, 1976a;Guimond et al, 2016). When supportive interactions are scaled back, the adolescent with greater internalizing difficulties may react in ways that both worsens symptoms and alienates the over extended friend.…”