Dyadic Variability in Mother-Adolescent Interactions: Developmental Trajectories and Associations with Psychosocial Functioning

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Jul 2012

Dyadic variability is considered to be a key mechanism in the development of mother-adolescent relationships, and low levels of dyadic flexibility are thought to be associated with behavior and relationship problems. The present observational study examined heterogeneity in the development of dyadic variability in mother-adolescent interactions and associations with psychosocial functioning. Dyadic variability refers to the range of emotional states during interactions of mother-adolescent dyads. During five annual home visits, 92 mother-adolescent dyads (M age T1 = 13; 65.2 % boys) were videotaped while discussing a conflict, and they completed several questionnaires on adolescents’ aggressive behavior and adolescents’ and mothers’ perceived relationship quality. Two types of dyads were distinguished: low variability dyads (52 %) and high decreasing variability dyads (48 %). Over time, high decreasing variability dyads were characterized by a broader emotional repertoire than low variability dyads. Moreover, these two dyad types had distinct developmental patterns of psychosocial adjustment. Over time, high decreasing variability dyads showed lower levels of adolescents’ aggressive behavior, and higher levels of perceived relationship quality than low variability dyads. These findings suggest that over time more dyadic variability is associated with less adjustment problems and a more constructive development of the mother-adolescent relationship. Adaptive interactions seem to be characterized by a wider range of emotional states and mothers should guide adolescents during interactions to express both positive and negative affect. Observing the dyadic variability during mother-adolescent interactions can help clinicians to distinguish adaptive from maladaptive mother-adolescent dyads.

A PDF file should load here. If you do not see its contents the file may be temporarily unavailable at the journal website or you do not have a PDF plug-in installed and enabled in your browser.

Alternatively, you can download the file locally and open with any standalone PDF reader:

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10964-012-9790-7.pdf

Dyadic Variability in Mother-Adolescent Interactions: Developmental Trajectories and Associations with Psychosocial Functioning

Dani/lle Van der Giessen 0 1 Susan J. T. Branje 0 1 Tom Frijns 0 1 Wim H. J. Meeus 0 1 0 D. Van der Giessen (&) S. J. T. Branje W. H. J. Meeus Research Centre Adolescent Development, Utrecht University , P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands 1 T. Frijns Trimbos Institute , P.O. Box 725, 3500 AS Utrecht, The Netherlands Dyadic variability is considered to be a key mechanism in the development of mother-adolescent relationships, and low levels of dyadic flexibility are thought to be associated with behavior and relationship problems. The present observational study examined heterogeneity in the development of dyadic variability in mother-adolescent interactions and associations with psychosocial functioning. Dyadic variability refers to the range of emotional states during interactions of mother-adolescent dyads. During five annual home visits, 92 motheradolescent dyads (M age T1 = 13; 65.2 % boys) were videotaped while discussing a conflict, and they completed several questionnaires on adolescents' aggressive behavior and adolescents' and mothers' perceived relationship quality. Two types of dyads were distinguished: low variability dyads (52 %) and high decreasing variability dyads (48 %). Over time, high decreasing variability dyads were characterized by a broader emotional repertoire than low variability dyads. Moreover, these two dyad types had distinct developmental patterns of psychosocial adjustment. Over time, high decreasing variability dyads showed lower levels of adolescents' aggressive behavior, and - higher levels of perceived relationship quality than low variability dyads. These findings suggest that over time more dyadic variability is associated with less adjustment problems and a more constructive development of the mother-adolescent relationship. Adaptive interactions seem to be characterized by a wider range of emotional states and mothers should guide adolescents during interactions to express both positive and negative affect. Observing the dyadic variability during mother-adolescent interactions can help clinicians to distinguish adaptive from maladaptive mother-adolescent dyads. The developmental phase of adolescence is marked by changes in the mother-adolescent relationship. From early to middle adolescence, the number of conflicts among mothers and adolescents increases, and maternal support and power decreases (De Goede et al. 2009). These changes are thought to accommodate adolescents development towards greater autonomy and personal choice, and enable mothers and adolescents to establish a more egalitarian relationship (Laursen and Collins 2009; Smetana 2011). Changes in the content of mother-adolescent relationships may be accompanied by changes in structural aspects of the mother-adolescent relationships. An important structural aspect of relationships is the variability of dyadic interaction patterns, which refers to the range of emotional states of dyads during mother-adolescent interactions (Hollenstein and Lewis 2006; Lichtwarck-Aschoff et al. 2009). According to a dynamic systems approach, dyadic variability is considered to be an important factor in relationship changes, because this variability allows dyads to reorganize interaction patterns (Fogel 1993; Thelen and Smith 1994). High levels of dyadic variability may enable mother-adolescent dyads to adapt to relationship challenges and opportunities that arise during adolescence (Granic et al. 2003), and low levels of dyadic variability in motherchild interactions have been associated with both adjustment and relational problems (Granic et al. 2007; Lichtwarck-Aschoff et al. 2009). The major aim of the current observational study is to examine whether heterogeneity in the development of dyadic variability during mother-adolescent interactions is related to the development of adolescents aggressive behavior, and adolescents and mothers perceived relationship quality. Dyadic Variability During Adolescence During the developmental period of adolescence, the mother-adolescent system reorganizes. Adolescents begin to re-evaluate the hierarchy of family roles and they try to assert more autonomy. This growing need for adolescent autonomy may give rise to discrepant expectancies of adolescents and mothers, which can result in more episodes of conflict. Mothers supporting adolescents autonomy during conflict interactions enable the mother-adolescent system to realign beliefs and goals, to reduce conflict, and eventually to establish a more egalitarian relationship (Laursen and Collins 2009). So, adolescence can be viewed as a transitional phase for the mother-adolescent system. According to a dynamic systems approach (Thelen and Smith 1994), development is characterized by major structural shifts during which interaction patterns of motheradolescent dyads are reorganized into new forms. Higher levels of dyadic variability are thought to typify periods of change and reorganization (Fogel 1993). As conflicts are (...truncated)


This is a preview of a remote PDF: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10964-012-9790-7.pdf

Daniёlle Van der Giessen, Susan J. T. Branje, Tom Frijns, Wim H. J. Meeus. Dyadic Variability in Mother-Adolescent Interactions: Developmental Trajectories and Associations with Psychosocial Functioning, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2012, pp. 96-108, Volume 42, Issue 1, DOI: 10.1007/s10964-012-9790-7