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Gender differences in parent-adolescent interaction and associations with academic performance: A longitudinal study
Abstract
Gender differences in family interactions, developmental changes in interactional patterns, and the relationship between interactional patterns and academic performance are explored longitudinally over the course of middle to late adolescence in a sample of 72 high school students and their parents. Parent and adolescent interactions are evaluated each year in a semi-structured revealed differences discussion. Each speech from the discussion is coded using a micro-analytic coding scheme to assess separateness and connectedness based on the individuation model of adolescent-family development. Analyses reveal gender and family structure differences in family interactions. In two-parent families, the mother-daughter dyad stands apart by displaying fewer separating behaviors than any other dyad. In single-parent families, the mother-son dyad stands apart in demonstrating more connecting behaviors. The developmental pattern of behaviors over the course of middle to late adolescence does not support previously held notions about the inevitability or desirability of increased separation and decreased connection between parents and adolescents as adolescents approach adulthood. Predictive analyses reveal more striking gender differences than descriptive analyses. In two-parent families with daughters, mothers' and daughters' communications predict daughters' grades, generally supporting predictions based on the individuation model. Connecting behaviors are most important during periods of transition, while separating communications are most positively predictive of academic performance during the more stable mid-high school period. Fathers' behaviors do not show utility in predicting daughters' grades, but are important in predicting their daughters' academic improvement over the course of high school. The relationship between family interaction and academic competence is less strong in families with sons and results are not consistent with predictions based on the individuation model. In contrast to families with daughters, separateness and connectedness are inversely associated with academic achievement in boys. In single-parent families, less mother-daughter separateness is associated with daughters' academic success, while more separating behaviors and fewer connecting behaviors are associated with academic success in single-parent families with sons. The importance of examining individual characteristics as mediating variables in understanding the impact of family process is highlighted and implications for developmental theory are considered.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Developmental psychology|Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
Welsh, Deborah Perlman, "Gender differences in parent-adolescent interaction and associations with academic performance: A longitudinal study" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9233176.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9233176