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Published on: February 16, 2011
Family processes and adolescent problem behavior: integrating relationship narratives into understanding development
Bernadette Marie Bullock1, Thomas J Dishion1
1Drs. Bullock and Dishion are with the Child and Family Center, University of Oregon, Eugene.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|February 23, 2007
Summary
Mothers' relational schemas (RSs) predict adolescent antisocial behavior. Assessing RSs offers unique insights for family dynamics and interventions targeting behavioral problems.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Family Studies
Background:
- Mothers' relational schemas (RSs) influence adolescent development.
- Understanding these schemas is crucial for addressing behavioral issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess mothers' relational schemas (RSs) regarding their adolescents.
- To evaluate the internal consistency and validity of positive and negative RS scales.
- To examine the predictive utility of RSs for adolescent antisocial behavior.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Family Affective Attitude Rating Scale for coding 5-minute speech samples.
- Collected data from a multiethnic sample of antisocial and successful adolescents and their families.
- Employed direct observations of parent-adolescent interactions, speech samples, and questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Positive and negative RS scales demonstrated internal consistency and validity.
- RSs reliably correlated with expressed emotion and observed parent-adolescent interactions.
- Negative RS uniquely predicted adolescent antisocial behavior, even after controlling for prior issues.
Conclusions:
- Relational schema narratives offer valuable, unique information for predicting adolescent antisocial behavior.
- RS assessment is recommended for understanding family dynamics and designing interventions.
- RSs play a significant role in preventing and treating adolescent behavior problems.
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