NCJ Number
168511
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: June 1997 Pages: 253-272
Date Published
1997
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The aims of this study were to compare the age-related expectations of parents and adolescents concerning the timing of achievement in a number of developmental tasks, to examine whether personal characteristics of the adolescent affect developmental expectations, and to examine whether discrepancies between the adolescent's and the parent's expectations are related to the amount of parent-adolescent conflict.
Abstract
The sample consisted of 508 families with adolescents (12-18 years old). During a home visit, a battery of questionnaires was administered individually to mothers, fathers, and adolescents. A new 24-item instrument to assess expectations for adolescents' mastery of developmental tasks was developed for this study. Analyses show that when the expectations of adolescents and those of their parents were compared at aggregate level, parents consistently indicated later ages for the achievement of developmental tasks than adolescents. Although parents had later timetables, parents and adolescents had similar views of the sequence in which achievement of developmental tasks should occur. The adolescent's age was apparently the most potent predictor of developmental timetables, followed by gender, pubertal timing, and temperament, respectively. The amount of conflict within the parent-adolescent relationship was associated with differences in developmental expectations. The utility of the new instrument for research and clinical work is discussed. 3 tables and 42 references