NCJ Number
228625
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 38 Issue: 10 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 1328-1338
Date Published
November 2009
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This Dutch study used the social relations model (SRM) in examining family members' reports of each others' problematic behaviors and emotional states for 2 parents and 2 adolescents in 69 families, using a "round-robin" design.
Abstract
The study found that the SRM perceiver variances were significant for each family member regarding both perceptions of problematic behaviors and problematic emotional states. These results were replicated in the second wave. These findings suggest that even though family members are well-acquainted with each other and should be able to differentiate between characteristic behaviors and emotional states, the perceiver still rated the problem behaviors and emotional states of different family members similarly. The researchers suggest this reflects a process of assimilation, i.e., the tendency to perceive others according to preconceptions of what others, in general, are like. These preconceptions may reflect individual differences in how each individual generally views others or in how the person views the specific group being targeted, in this case the family. The findings show a tendency for greater correspondence in perceptions of problematic emotional states than problematic behaviors, which differs from previous studies. Families were recruited through 16 secondary schools in the Netherlands. The Nijmegen Problem Behavior List (De Bruyn et al., 2005) was used to assess family members' problem behaviors (e.g., "This person fights a lot") and emotional states (e.g., "This person withdraws from other people"). Fathers, mothers, older adolescents, and younger adolescents rated each other on the items of the Nijmegen Problem Behavior List. 3 tables and 41 references