Longitudinal associations between positive affect and relationship quality among children and adolescents: Examining patterns of co-occurring change

Abstract

The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions suggests that the experience of positive affect (PA) and positive interpersonal experiences should mutually reinforce each other over time, potentiating upward spirals of PA and social well-being. Informed by this upward spirals hypothesis, the present study used parallel process latent growth curve modeling to evaluate co-occurring trajectories of PA and parent- and peer-relationship quality in a sample of 680 youth aged 8 to 16 years (M = 11.87, SD = 2.41, 56.7% female). Youth PA and relationship quality were assessed every 18 months for 3 years (3 total assessments). Results of parallel process latent growth curve modeling analyses indicated positive correlations between trajectories of PA and trajectories of both parent- and peer-relationship quality. Consistent with tenets of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, the findings suggest that youth PA and experiences of high-quality relationships demonstrate reciprocal patterns of growth, with implications for youth health and well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Figure 1.

Conceptual model describing parallel process growth in PA, parent-, and peer-relationship quality across a three-year follow up period.

Figure 2.

Scatterplots representing the pattern of associations observed between the slope of PA and the slopes of parent and peer relationship quality across adolescent development. Shaded bars represent standard error around mean.