Adolescent and Parental Contributions to Parent-Adolescent Hostility Across Early Adolescence

Abstract

Early adolescence is characterized by increases in parent-adolescent hostility, yet little is known about what predicts these changes. Utilizing a fairly large sample (N = 416, 51 % girls, 91 % European American), this study examined the conjoint and unique influences of adolescent social anxiety symptoms and parental intrusiveness on changes in parent-adolescent hostility across early adolescence. Higher mother and father intrusiveness were associated with increased mother- and father-adolescent hostility. An examination of reciprocal effects revealed that mother- and father-adolescent hostility predicted increased mother and father intrusiveness. Significant associations were not substantiated for adolescent social anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that intrusive parenting has important implications for subsequent parent-adolescent interactions and that similar patterns may characterize some aspects of mother- and father-adolescent relationships.

Keywords: Adolescence; Hostility; Intrusiveness; Parent–adolescent relationship; Social anxiety.

Figure 1. Conceptual model

Figure 2

Mother-adolescent path model 6^th to 8^th grade. Estimates are standardized coefficients. Bolded estimates are significant at p < .05. Associations were estimated between 6^th and 8^th grade adolescent social anxiety, mother-adolescent hostility, and mother intrusiveness, but are not shown in the figure. Within each wave, disturbances between adolescent social anxiety, mother-adolescent hostility and mother intrusiveness were estimated but are not shown in the figure. Covariates are not depicted for simplicity.

Figure 3

Father-adolescent path model 6^th to 8^th grade. Estimates are standardized coefficients. Bolded estimates are significant at p < .05. Associations were estimated between 6^th and 8^th grade adolescent social anxiety, father-adolescent hostility, and father intrusiveness but are not shown in the figure. Within each wave, disturbances among adolescent social anxiety, father-adolescent hostility, and father intrusiveness were estimated but are not shown in the figure. Covariates are not depicted for simplicity.