NCJ Number
207096
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 33 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 403-420
Date Published
October 2004
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study identified the correlates of shared compared with unequal patterns of control in adolescents' friendships.
Abstract
This involved examining family dynamics that may stimulate patterns of control in adolescents' friendships as well as the exploration of links between the balance of perceived control in friendships and other qualities of those friendships. Data from 197 firstborn adolescents (mean age 14.94 years), their younger siblings (mean age 12.44 years), and their mothers and fathers were collected as part of a short-term longitudinal study of the connections between parents' work experiences, family relationships, and adolescent development. Information was collected at year 1 from a close friend of each firstborn adolescent. Data collection for family members involved home visits and a series of nightly telephone interviews during three annual visits. Measures pertained to friendship control, which was used to define the three friendship types; four indicators of adolescents' adjustment; and family relationships and friendship qualities. The study found that adolescents' patterns of control in friendships were linked to the distribution of control in both parents' marriages and adolescents' sibling relationships. Control in friendships was also related to other qualities of the friendship, particularly the level of intimacy, conflict, and the sharing of perspectives. 4 tables and 64 references