Relationship network quality: Adolescent adjustment and perceptions of relationships with parents and friends.

Abstract

Early, mid-, and late adolescents (N = 406) from an ethnically diverse community completed questionnaires describing positive and negative features of relationships with their mothers, fathers, and same-sex best friends. School grades, self-reported adjustment problems, and self-worth differed as a function of both the number of relationships that adolescents described as high on positive features and the number of relationships that adolescents described as high on negative features. Adolescents with relationships that were uniformly good quality (i.e., high on positive features and low on negative features) were better adjusted than adolescents with relationships that were uniformly poor quality (i.e., low on positive features and high on negative features). The results failed to support the proposition that a single high quality relationship buffers against suboptimal levels of support in other relationships.

Positive Teacher Affect and Maternal Support Facilitate Adjustment After the Transition to First Grade

“…The results also revealed, conversely, that high maternal support buffered against the development of adjustment problems from Grade 1 to Grade 2 for children with lack of positive teacher affect. These results support the deficit model of relationships (Laursen & Mooney, 2008), suggesting that a single highquality relationship can buffer against adjustment problems associated with another, low-quality, relationship. Previous studies have shown that teachers may compensate for preschool children's relationship problems with parents and peers (Buyse, Verschueren, & Doumen, 2009;Johnson et al, 2013;M.…”

“…Moreover, we examined the interactive effects of positive teacher affect for the child and maternal support on child adjustment behaviors after the critical transition to primary school. Consistent with the deficit model (Laursen & Mooney, 2008), we predicted that positive relations with teachers would buffer against adjustment problems associated with low maternal support and that maternal support would buffer against adjustment problems associated with lack of positive teacher affect. The poorest adjustment outcomes were expected for students who received low support from both teachers and parents (Sameroff, 1993).…”

“…Furthermore, in line with the deficit model of interpersonal relationships (Laursen & Mooney, 2008), a single high-quality relationship (whether with a parent or a teacher) might be a sufficient buffer against adjustment problems. Although some work has been done on the interaction between a warm and close relationship with a teacher and parental support, none of these studies have focused on the first grades of primary school, which have critical importance for subsequent academic, career, and mental health outcomes (Entwisle & Alexander, 1998).…”

“…A close, supportive relationship with a teacher, who is an important role model in the early primary grades, may be particularly important for children who lack other forms of support during the transition to primary school. The deficit model of interpersonal relationships (Laursen & Mooney, 2008) posits that a single high-quality relationship might compensate or buffer against adjustment difficulties associated with suboptimal levels of support in other relationships. Accordingly, the impact of the teacher-child relationship on a child's school adjustment may be best understood in the context of other social relationships.…”

“…Less is known, however, about whether teachers can compensate for interpersonal relationship difficulties, particularly problems with parents, and whether parental support can compensate for difficulties encountered in the teacher-child relationship. The present study tested the proposition that a single high-quality relationship (either with a teacher or a parent) can buffer against adjustment problems (Laursen & Mooney, 2008) in a sample of Finnish children who were investigated in Grades 1 and 2 of primary school. We expected positive teacher affect to buffer against adjustment problems associated with low maternal support, and high maternal support to buffer against adjustment problems associated with lack of positive affect.…”