ParentAdolescent Relationships, Sibling Ordinal Status, and Adolescent Adjustment

1
Parent-Adolescent Relationships, Sibling Ordinal
Status, and Adolescent Adjustment Tracey G.
Latimore and Nicole Campione-Barr,
Ph.D. University of Missouri
INTRODUCTION
DISCUSSION
METHODS

• Parent-Child Communication crucial for
  minimizing problem behavior among adolescents,
  such as misconduct and psychological issues (Yu,
  Clemens, Yang, Li, Stanton, Deveaux, et al. 2006,
  Magoon Ingersoll 2006, Patrick, Snyder,
  Schrepferman Synder 2005).
• Parent-Child Communication Influences an
  infinite number of influencing factors, such as
• trust, marital status (Tucker, Barber Eccles
  2001),
• sibling presence (Cicirelli 1978),
• gender (Cicirelli 1978, Bumpus, Crouter,
  McHale 2001, Campione-Barr Smetana 2007).
• Sibling Ordinal Status few studies have explored
  it as a factor in relationship quality and its
  relation to internalizing and externalizing
  behaviors.
• First- and Later-born Adolescents Differences in
  Autonomy and Conflict
• Later-born adolescents expected autonomy sooner
  with greater expectations for autonomy.
• Later-born adolescents had more conflict when
  compared at the same age as first-born
  adolescents (Campione-Barr Smetana 2007).
• Current Study Interested in how parent-child
  communication may differ for the first-born and
  later-born children and influence child problem
  behavior and depression.

• Hypotheses 1 supported. Better quality
  relationships are associated with fewer behavior
  problems and less depression. The present study
  confirms pervious research about impact of the
  parent-adolescent relationship quality on
  adjustment.
• Hypothesis 2 and 3 not supported. Older teens,
  however, reported significantly more problem
  behavior than younger teens.
• Hypothesis 4 was partially supported. Moderating
  influence of ordinal status was not supported in
  the case of depressive symptoms for mother
  father and problem behavior for mothers.
• Hypothesis 4 adds to previous research by
  indicating a difference in relationship quality
  for first- and later-born adolescents for problem
  behavior with father.
• Interaction indicates that for first-born
  children, in particular, better relationships
  with fathers may serve as a protective factor in
  keeping children out of trouble. This may be
  especially important for this group and
  later-born adolescents, as previous research has
  shown that younger siblings are more likely to
  engage in risky behaviors when their older
  siblings do the same (Ardelt Day 2002, East
  Jacobson 2001).

Participants
Measures

• Trust and communication. The subscales of trust
  and communication were taken from the Armsden and
  Greenberg (1987) Parent and Peer Attachment
  Inventory.
• Problem behavior. The Problem Behavior Survey
  (PBS Mason, Cauce, Gonzales, Hiraga, 1996), a
  19-item report of problem behavior adapted from
  Jessor and Jessor (1977) was given to
  participants.
• Depressed mood. The Center for Disease Control
  Depression Scale (CES-D Radloff, 1977), a
  well-known 20-item measure of depressed mood, was
  used for the first-born and later-born
  adolescents.

Analyses

• Four hierarchical regression analyses were used
  to test the study hypotheses. 
• Problem behavior and depressed mood were each
  predicted by adolescents relationships with
  mothers and fathers separately.

RESULTS

• Parent moderation analyses for assessments of
  depression and problem behavior

REFERENCES
STUDY AIMS

• 1) To examine how the quality of
  parent-adolescent relationship influences
  depressed mood and problem behavior in
  adolescents.
• Hypothesis 1 Greater relationship quality with
  parents will be negatively associated with
  child problem behaviors and depression.
  Hypothesis 2 First-born adolescents will have
  higher levels of relationship quality with
  parents than later- born adolescents.
• 2) To explore the differences with problem
  behavior in first-born and later-born.
• Hypothesis 3 Later-born adolescents will be more
  likely to exhibit more problem behaviors than
  first-born adolescents.
• 3) To investigate the possible moderating role of
  sibling ordinal status on problem behavior and
  depression.
• Hypothesis 4 Sibling-ordinal status will act as
  a moderate in the relation between
  relationship quality and child problem
  behavior and depression.

Note. p lt.10, p lt .05, p lt .01. All ? are
from the final step of the analysis.

• Sex
• Main effect of sex, such that females report more
  depression for analysis with mother.
• Age
• Main effect of age, such that older adolescents
  report more problem behavior for analysis with
  mother and father and marginally significant main
  effect of age for depression for analysis with
  mother.
• Ordinal Status
• Main effect of birth order, such that later-born
  adolescents report less problem behavior for
  fathers analysis as well as a trend toward a
  significant main effect with mothers analysis.
• Relationship Quality
• Main effect of relationship quality with mothers
  analysis, showing the lower relationship quality,
  the more depression in teens, while there was a
  marginally significant main effect for depression
  for analysis with fathers.
• There was also a main effect of relationship
  quality for analysis with fathers, such that the
  higher relationship quality, the less problem
  behavior in teens.

Interaction of ordinal status and relationship
quality with father
Problem Behavior
Low Quality High
Quality
Acknowledgements The project was funded by a
grant through the Fetzer Institute awarded to Dr.
Judith G. Smetana and the McNair Scholars Program
to Tracey Latimore. The authors would like to
thank Rush-Henrietta School District and the
Graduate Undergraduate members of the Social
Development Family Processes Lab, University of
Rochester and the Family Relationships and
Adolescent Development Lab, University of
Missouri.