How is adolescent functioning related to experiences of connection, regulation, and supportfor autonomy at home, in school, and with peers? Using datafrom the Maryland Adolescent Growth in Context (MAGIC) study (an ongoing longitudinal study of 1,387 African Amenrican and European American adolescents and theirfamilies), it was found that: (a)family demographic characteristics helped predict only academicperformance; (b) although positive experiences on one indicator predicted positive experiences on the other two, each of the three types of experience explained a unique amount of variance in adolescentfunctioning (e.g., regulation related most strongly to externalizing behaviors; in contrast, supportfor autonomy related to all aspects offunctioning); (c) although adolescents with positive interactions in one context were likely to have positive interactions in the other contexts, characteristics of each context explained unique amounts of variance infifuctioning (e.g., experiences with siblings emerged as uniquely important predictors of mental health).

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This study used a longitudinal design to investigate the association offamily processes and self-perceptions with adjustment and self-esteem following the transition to junior high school. Students'positive self-concepts in academic and social domains emerged as facilitative of positive adjustment across the transition, while self-consciousness in these domains proved detrimental to adjustment. In addition, adolescents'perceptions of their parents as being developmentally attuned to them and supportive of autonomy in decision-making situations were positively associated with adjustment and gains in self-esteem across the transition. The results are discussed in light of the salient developmental tasks confronting the early adolescent and the role offamily and school contexts in facilitating the successful negotiation of these tasks.