Parenting Practices, Social Skills and Peer Relationships in Adolescence

Abstract

The influence of parents on their offsprings' peer relations is not limited to childhood but continues throughout the adolescent years. Little is, however, known about which mechanisms link adolescent functioning in family and peer systems. This study focuses on social skills as a mediator between characteristics of the parent-child relationship and peer relations. Data from a cross-sectional study among 508 12-18-year olds were used for analyses. Findings showed that adolescents' social skills mediated the effects of some parental practices, such as responsiveness, autonomy, cohesion, as well as parental attachment on the degree of peer activity, the attachment to peers and perceived social support from peers to some extent. Nonetheless, direct parental influence on peer relations remained apparent after controlling for the effects of social skills. No effects of gender and age were found. The overall picture is that social skills of adolescents as well as parenting factors, parental attachment and family climate are associated with the quality and intensity of peer relations.The period of adolescence represents a time of transformations in social relationships. Adolescents spend increasing time in activities with peers without the supervision of adults such as parents and teachers. It is important for them to come in contact with new friends or to strengthen existing bonds. In this way, they get reflections on their own opinions, ideas and emotions (Brown, 1990). Adolescent friendships become more intimate and personal by more frequent disclosure of feelings and thoughts and by provision of emotional support (Buhrmester & Furman, 1987). Despite the increasing relevance of peer rela-SOCIAL

Gender as predictor of social rejection: the mediating/moderating role of effortful control and parenting. [El género como predictor de rechazo social: el papel mediador / moderador del control con esfuerzo y crianza de los hijos]

“…Although some studies point to a relation between certain types of parental discipline and social adjustment of the individual anales de psicología, 2014, vol. 30, nº 3 (octubre) (Engels, Dekovic, & Meeus, 2002;Chen, Dong, & Zhou, 1997), no one have examined in depth the specific relation between parenting and social rejection as measured by sociometric status. Furthermore, PP didn´t show mediation or moderation effects in the relation found between EC and the sociometric status "rejection".…”

Attachment and Autonomy During Adolescence

“…There are parallel findings in the self -report literature examining the concurrent and longitudinal correlates of parenting that promotes moderate behavioral autonomy and is also low in psychological control. For example, when teens view parents as highly authoritative and/ or low in psychological control, they appear to be both more socially skilled and more closely connected to their peers, but also to be less " peer oriented " and more autonomous with their peers (Barber & Olson, 1997 ;Bednar & Fisher, 2003 ;Engels, Dekovic, & Meeus, 2002 ;Laible & Carlo, 2004 ;Steinberg, Elmen, & Mounts, 1989 ). In contrast, self -reports of high levels of parental psychological control and low support for behavioral autonomy have been inversely linked to measures of competence, closeness and autonomy within peer relationships (Laible & Carlo, 2004 ;Lee & Bell, 2003 ;.…”

Developmental Trajectories of Perceived Friendship Intimacy, Constructive Problem Solving, and Depression from Early to Late Adolescence

“…First, adolescents with more depressive feelings typically have lower levels of social skills (Engels et al 2002), making it more difficult for them to maintain a friendship in which both commitment and balanced relatedness are high. Furthermore, adolescents with depression may elicit more negative responses from friends, who therefore evaluate them as less likeable and less attractive, and engage in fewer positive behaviors with them (Coyne and Downey 1991;Hale 2001;Rudolph et al 2000).…”