RECIPROCAL INFLUENCES BETWEEN PARENTING AND ADOLESCENT PROBLEM-SOLVING BEHAVIOR

This investigation evaluated the hypothesis that the development of ei ther effective or disruptive adolescent problem-solving behavior is re ciprocally associated with the child-rearing strategies of parents. Lo ngitudinal data collected over 3 time points from a large sample of fa milies were analyzed at I-year and 2-year measurement intervals by usi ng structural equation modeling. Parent and adolescent behavior was as sessed by independent observers. Reciprocal parent-adolescent interact ions occurred primarily in the presence of disruptive adolescent behav ior. Analyses involving positive adolescent behavior produced unidirec tional effects from parent behavior to adolescent behavior. Also, reci procal associations were most evident when the 2-year measurement inte rval was used.