Evaluating general parent-adolescent relations as a context for daily relationship processes and adolescent mood

General parent-adolescent conflict and connectedness are well-established predictors of adolescent well-being. However, the processes by which historical relations contextualize daily fluctuations in parent-adolescent conflict and connectedness provide insights into risk and protective dynamics within parent-adolescent relationships across different timescales. Using baseline surveys and 21-day daily diary data from a sample of 150 adolescents (M_age = 14.60, SD_age = 0.83, 61.3% female) and their parents (M_age = 43.4, SD_age = 6.9, 95% female) in two-caregiver families, we examined whether general relationships moderate the daily associations between parent-adolescent interactions and adolescent mood. Multilevel models revealed that the daily association between conflict and adolescent negative mood was stronger at higher levels of general conflict and weaker at higher levels of general connectedness. Importantly, the within-person link between daily connectedness and adolescent mood remains robust, regardless of general relationship qualities. In sum, this study provides compelling evidence that simultaneously considering general qualities and daily parent-adolescent relationships offers valuable implications for understanding adolescent mood.