DISCREPANCIES IN ADOLESCENTS AND PARENTS PERCEPTIONS OF FAMILY FUNCTIONING AND ADOLESCENT EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT

Discrepancies between adolescents' and their parents' perceptions of f amily functioning were examined in a sample of 74 sixth- and seventh-g rade students and their parents during the fall and the spring of the school year. The effect of both the adolescent's gender and the gender of the parent an differences in perceptions was explored. In addition the relation between discrepancies in perceptions of family functioni ng and adolescent emotional adjustment war examined. Results indicated that girls and boys perceived lower levels of family cohesion than di d their parents. Girls also perceived lower levels of family adjustmen t than did both parents. Not surprisingly, mothers' and fathers' perce ptions of family functioning were more similar to one another than the adolescents' perceptions (especially boys') were to either parent. Di screpancies in perceptions of family functioning also were related to the adolescents' reported levels of depressive symptomatology and anxi ety particularly for girls.