Examines the reciprocal relation between parent-child distance and pubertal maturation. Analyses indicate that (1) puberty increases adolescent autonomy and parent-child conflict and diminishes parent-child closeness; and (2) parent-child distance may accelerate pubertal maturation among girls. (PCB)

Relations between hormone levels and aggressive behavior of adolescents in family interactions were examined. Higher estradiol and androstenedione levels were associated with higher degrees of aggressive behaviors in girls. Findings for boys were sparse. (PCB)

Junior and senior high school students (N=279) completed measures of pubertal status, demographics, and Issues Checklist. Intensity of School Issues and Household Behavior Issues was greater among seventh and ninth graders than among eleventh graders. Self-Responsibility Issues were most intense among transpubertal adolescents. Boys perceived more…

Examined age differences in 9- to 15-year-olds' experiences with families and friends, and by themselves. Amount of time spent with family decreased with age. Affect with family became less positive through seventh grade; affect with friends became more favorable with age; affect when alone did not vary. (BC)

It is possible that conflicts in families with adolescents are linked to the transitions and individual development that occur during adolescence. A study was conducted to describe domains of conflictual issues associated with adolescent grade in school, pubertal status, and gender. The sample was comprised of 78 seventh graders, 115 ninth…

Conflictual family issues appearing during adolescence have not been adequately dimensionalized. In addition to this problem, researchers have focused on age-related variations in family conflicts without investigating other characteristics. A study was conducted to describe organized domains of conflictual family issues and to describe variations…

Examined role of close relationships during adolescence and their contribution to individual coping. Data from series of studies on early adolescents showed that availability of family and peers combined with support of adolescent's independence contributed to individual adaptive coping. Contribution of close relationships to coping differed for…

This issue is introduced as a series of papers organized around the question as to whether the adolescent-parent relationship might not be accurately characterized as four very different relationships--differences between boys and girls, differences between mothers and fathers, and differences between boys and girls in interaction with mothers…

Two experiments investigated adolescent-parent relationships on the dimensions of caring and knowing. In the first, adolescents estimated how well their parents knew them and how much they cared what their parents thought about them. In the second, adolescents from single-parent families living with their mothers gave estimates for knowing and…

Previous research relating the quality of the relationship with the mother, father, and sibling to adolescent self-concept only investigated social and general self-concept and not various social and cognitive dimensions of self-concept. This study investigated family relationships and their link to the several domains of self-concept.…

Association between maternal employment status and adolescent relations with parents, sibling, and peers was investigated. Males had more arguments with their mothers and siblings when their mothers worked. The need to take a family system perspective in order to understand the relationship between maternal employment and adolescent development…

Summarizes research on single-parent households and families whose mothers have remarried. This research concentrates on the effect of marital transitions on family functioning and children's adjustment. Introduces a longitudinal study that examined transformations in marital, parent-child, and sibling relationships following the remarriage of a…

Examined family and individual processes influencing the future expectancies of adolescents from an economically stressed rural community. Found that adolescents' expectancies about adult role transitions diverged from societal norms, with family background and relationships, adolescents' attitudes and behaviors, and educational aspirations…

Examined role of age, gender, and dating in Israeli high school students' romantic behaviors/perceptions and linkages between family/peer relationships and affective intensity with romantic partners. Found that intimacy and level of emotional involvement were similar across adolescence. Girls emphasized attachment and care more than boys.…

One goal of a longitudinal study of stepfamilies, divorced maternal custody families, and nondivorced families was to assess the quality and functioning of the sibling relationship and to determine the conditions under which sibling relationships become more cohesive or more competitive during family transitions. Relationships between the target…