Who Shapes Whom in the Family: Reciprocal Links Between Autonomy Support in the Family and Parents' and Adolescents' Coping Behaviors

• NCJ Number: 236530
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 40 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2011 Pages: 983-995
• Author(s): Inge Seiffge-Krenke; Vilmante Pakalniskiene
• Date Published: 2011
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): SE/408/18-1
• Sponsoring Agency: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the reciprocal links between parents' and adolescents' coping behaviors and the potential influence of parental support for the development of adolescent autonomy.

Abstract

Coping research has neglected the study of the reciprocal links between parents' and adolescents' coping behaviors and the potential influence of parental support for the development of adolescent autonomy. This study, therefore, analyzed the coping behaviors of fathers, mothers, and children (53 percent females) in 196 families who participated in a 4-year longitudinal study that started when the child was an early adolescent. The results of cross-lagged panel design models examining direct links between parents' and their children's coping styles suggested that parents and children do not affect each others' abilities to cope with family stress over time. However, indirect relationships between parents' and children's coping styles via autonomy support in the family were found. Both the parents' and adolescents' perceptions of autonomy support in the family were important in shaping their respective coping styles. The child's individual characteristics (e.g., gender and physical maturity) had a greater influence on the fine-tuning of mothers' coping behaviors than on the fathers'. The findings underscore the significance of autonomy-enhancing parent-child interactions for the development of adolescent coping. (Published Abstract)