ERIC Number: EJ931530
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Aug
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0047-2891
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Who Shapes Whom in the Family: Reciprocal Links between Autonomy Support in the Family and Parents' and Adolescents' Coping Behaviors
Seiffge-Krenke, Inge; Pakalniskiene, Vilmante
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, v40 n8 p983-995 Aug 2011
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% females) in 196 families who participated in a four-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.
Descriptors: Individual Characteristics, Mothers, Early Adolescents, Adolescents, Coping, Fathers, Children, Longitudinal Studies, Parent Child Relationship
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

Peer reviewed
Direct link
