The future is present in the past: A meta-analysis on the longitudinal associations of parent-adolescent relationships with peer and romantic relationships

Positive peer and romantic relationships are crucial for adolescents’ positive adjustment and relationships with parents lay the foundation for these relationships. This longitudinal meta-analysis examined how supportive and negative parent-adolescent relationships continue into later peer and romantic relationships. Multilevel meta-regressions based on 81 longitudinal studies (559 effect sizes, including 49,769 participants) indicated that supportive and negative parent-adolescent relationships were associated with supportive and negative future peer and romantic relationships. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling based on 48 studies (48 effect sizes, including 14,969 participants) indicated that supportive parent-adolescent relationships unidirectionally predicted supportive and negative future peer relationships, while negative parent-adolescent relationships were bidirectionally associated with supportive and negative peer relationships. Our findings highlight the importance of relationships with parents beyond childhood.

Associations between adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being: is there a buffering role of boys’ and girls’ relationships with their mothers and fathers?

Background Internalizing mental health problems (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) are known to be related negatively to adolescents’ well-being. However, whether this negative association manifests equally in boys and girls, and the potential buffering role of high-quality relationships with mothers and fathers, remain unknown. Thus, the present study was conducted to 1) investigate associations among adolescents’ internalizing problems and mother– and father–adolescent relationship quality, on the one hand, and adolescents’ well-being, on the other hand, 2) explore the buffering role of high-quality mother– and father–adolescent relationships in the association between adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being, and 3) examine gender differences in these main and buffering effects. Methods The analysis sample consisted of 1064 adolescents (53.7% girls; aged 11–17 years) from three secondary schools in the Netherlands. Participants filled out an online questionnaire incorporating the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form to measure well-being, the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-25 to measure internalizing problems, and the Network of Relationships Inventory to measure mother– and father–adolescent relationship quality. The cross-sectional data were analyzed using path models in R, controlling for age, ethnocultural background, and education level. Multigroup analyses were performed to identify gender differences. Results Adolescents with fewer internalizing problems (β = − 0.40, p < 0.001) and adolescents with higher-quality relationships with their mothers and fathers reported higher concurrent levels of well-being (β = 0.10 to 0.18, all p < 0.01). The quality of mother-adolescent relationships had a significantly larger association with adolescents’ well-being than that of father-adolescent relationship quality. However, relationships with mothers and fathers did not significantly buffer the association between adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being. Multigroup analyses revealed no difference between boys and girls. Conclusions The current study contributes to the understanding of internalizing problems as an important risk factor for adolescents’ well-being, regardless of the quality of relationships with mothers and fathers. The quality of adolescents’ relationships with their parents is associated positively with their well-being, even in the presence of internalizing problems. These findings underline the importance of mothers’ and fathers’ roles in adolescent boys’ and girls’ well-being.

Late Adolescents’ Attachment to Parents and Peers and Psychological Distress Resulting from COVID-19. A Study on the Mediation Role of Alexithymia

The scientific literature has shown the key role played by attachment to parents and peers and difficulties in recognizing, processing, and regulating emotions (i.e., alexithymia) in the (mal-)adaptive psychological response to the COVID-19 pandemic during late adolescence. No study has yet explored the complex interplay between these variables. We recruited a sample of 454 late adolescents (Mage = 22.79, SD = 2.27) and assessed attachment to parents and peers, alexithymia, and peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19 through self-report instruments. Attachment to fathers and peers, but not to mothers, and alexithymia significantly predicted levels of peritraumatic distress. Alexithymia fully and partially mediated the effect of, respectively, attachment to mothers and attachment to peers on peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19. These findings suggested that intervention programs focused on the promotion of peer social relationships, supportive parent–adolescent relationships, and the ability to recognize and discriminate one’s own and others’ emotions are needed in helping late adolescents to face the current health emergency and preventing short- and long-term psychopathological consequences related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Realitas Phone Snubbing pada Pergaulan Remaja

Excessive use of gadgets can lead to phone snubbing behaviour, in this case, teenagers become indifferent to their environment and more focus on playing with their gadgets. The reality of phone snubbing (phubbing) can cause communication barriers such as distortion of messages and cause interpersonal relationships to become disrupted. This research aimed to (1) find out the role of communication actors in phone snubbing reality specifically in adolescent relationships’ framework, (2) verbal and nonverbal messages in the reality of phone snubbing, and (3) the meaning of phone snubbing for adolescents. The method used in this research is qualitative, with data collection techniques through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation. Informants of this research are Bandung’s high school students who actively use their gadget. This research concluded that there was a title role in the interaction process of phone snubbing reality, individuals became the committers of communication known as phubber, that is an affected person phubbing, and phubbed as phubbing actors. Verbal messages occur in concurrence with nonverbal messages in the interaction of high school teenager’s communication in the form of school chats, gossip, and funny stories accompanied by nonverbal indicated from the closeness of their friendships, there is a ritual touching base message, such as patting the friends’ shoulders and the friendship affectionate display. Phubbing behaviour is felt more obvious when they engaged in family’s interaction. Phubbing is defined as unlikable behaviour and can interfere with friendships.Keywords: Gadget; Interpersonal Communication; Phone Snubbing; TeenagerAbstrak Penggunaan gawai yang berlebihan pada remaja dapat menimbulkan perilaku phone snubbing, yaitu kondisi dimana remaja menjadi acuh terhadap lingkungannya dan lebih berfokus bermain dengan gawainya. Realitas phone snubbing (phubbing) dapat menimbulkan hambatan komunikasi seperti distorsi pesan dan mngakibatkan hubungan interpersonal menjadi terganggu. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peran pelaku komunikasi dalam realitas phone snubbing pada pergaulan remaja, pesan verbal dan nonverbal dalam realitas phone snubbing, serta makna phone snubbing bagi remaja. Metode yang digunakan adalah kualitatif dengan teknik pengumpulan data melalui wawancara mendalam, observasi, dan dokumentasi. Informan penelitian ini adalah siswa Sekolah Menengah Atas (SMA) yang aktif menggunakan gawainya di Kota Bandung. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terjadi pengambilan peran pada proses interaksi dalam realitas phone snubbing dimana individu menjadi pelaku phubber yaitu seorang terdampak phubbing dan phubbed sebagai pelaku phubbing. Pesan verbal terjadi bersamaan dengan pesan nonverbal pada interaksi komunikasi remaja SMA berupa obrolan sekolah, gosip, dan cerita lucu. Pesan non verbal ditunjukkan dengan hubungan pertemanan yang akrab misalnya penyampaian pesan sentuhan ritual yaitu menepuk pundak teman serta adanya affect display. Perilaku phubbing lebih dirasakan dalam konteks interaksi komunikasi pada keluarga. Phubbing dimaknai sebagai perilaku yang tidak disukai dan dapat mengganggu hubungan pertemanan.Kata Kunci: Gawai; Komunikasi Interpersonal; Phone Snubbing; Remaja

Effects of Father-Adolescent and Mother-Adolescent Relationships on Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Early Adolescents

Parent–adolescent relationships play an important role in protecting adolescents from depressive symptoms. However, there are no consistent conclusions about the extent to which fathers and mothers uniquely contribute to adolescents’ depressive symptoms. The present study aimed to acquire knowledge in this research area in two ways. First, this study separated the potential impacts of father–child and mother–child relationships on depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. Second, this study used a longitudinal design with nationally representative samples from the China Education Panel Survey. A total of 8794 middle school students in grade 7 completed measures of father–adolescent and mother–adolescent relationships, and depressive symptoms twice (T1 and T2; one-year interval). Results indicated that both positive father–adolescent and mother–adolescent relationships had negative effects on depressive symptoms in female adolescents. However, positive father-adolescent, not mother-adolescent, relationships had a negative effect on depressive symptoms in male adolescents. These findings suggest that positive parent–adolescent relationships could reduce early adolescents’ depressive symptoms, but positive father–adolescent and mother–adolescent relationships might have different protective effects on early adolescents’ depressive symptoms among male and female adolescents in China.

Caregiving strategies, parental practices, and the use of Facebook groups among Israeli mothers of adolescents

Facebook offers a “village” for mothers to come together and seek and share parenting information, but while there has been substantial research examining both positive and negative aspects of parents’ Facebook use, there is no research on use of Facebook by mothers of adolescents and its association with parent-adolescent relationships. Given the intense challenges of raising adolescents and the dearth of research into potential benefits and drawbacks of mothers of adolescents seeking support from Facebook, we sought to fill this gap by focusing on the caregiving and parenting practices of mothers of adolescents who were members of mothers’ groups on Facebook. The sample included 74 Israeli dyads of mothers (Mage = 43.73, SD = 4.41), who participated in Facebook groups for mothers and their adolescent children (Mage = 12.26, SD = 3.11) during 2019. Mothers reported on their Facebook use and caregiving strategies. The adolescents answered a parenting practices questionnaire. It was found that higher permissiveness and greater psychological intrusiveness were related to higher use of Facebook by the mothers. Among mothers who were high on hyperactivation, greater permissiveness and psychological intrusiveness were related to higher Facebook use to a greater extent than among mothers who were low on hyperactivation. Alongside Facebook’s benefits as a community for mothers come serious risks for some mothers. As research in this area grows, an examination of the characteristics of Facebook use by mothers of adolescent children involved in Facebook mothers’ groups is meaningful.