Transitioning to adolescence: How changes in child personality and overreactive parenting predict adolescent adjustment problems

Abstract

The present study examined how changes in child Big Five personality characteristics and overreactive parenting during the transition from childhood to adolescence predict adolescent adjustment problems. The sample included 290 children, aged 8-9 years. At three moments, with 2-year intervals, mothers, fathers, and a teacher reported on the child's personality, and mothers and fathers reported on their parenting behavior. At the third measurement moment, mothers, fathers, and children reported on the child's adjustment problems. Rank-order stability of the personality dimensions and overreactive parenting were high. Univariate latent growth models revealed mean-level decreases for extraversion, conscientiousness, and imagination. Mean levels of benevolence, emotional stability, and overreactive parenting were stable. Multivariate latent growth models revealed that decreases in extraversion and emotional stability predicted internalizing problems, whereas decreases in benevolence, conscientiousness, and emotional stability predicted externalizing problems. Increases in overreactive parenting predicted externalizing, but not internalizing problems. The associations were similar for boys and girls. The results indicate that changes in child personality and overreactive parenting during the transition to adolescence are associated with adolescent adjustment problems. Overall, child personality was more important than overreactive parenting, and children were more likely to "act out" than to "withdraw" in reaction to overreactive parenting.

General personality and psychopathology in referred and nonreferred children and adolescents: An investigation of continuity, pathoplasty, and complication models.

“…van den Akker et al (2010) found that adolescents may develop intemalizing problems if they decrease in extraversion and emotional stability during the transition to adolescence. Furthermore, decreases in benevolence (this factor covers agreeableness traits and the manageability of children, Mervielde & De Fruyt, 2002), conscientiousness, and emotional stability predicted later extemalizing problems.…”

“…These mean CBCL syndrome and HiPIC facet scores were categorized, taking into account the labels attached to the item scores and current round-off rules: CBCL score < .50 = > category 0; .50 s CBCL score < 1,50 > category 1; CBCL score a 1,50 a category 2, HiPIC score < 2,50 a category 0; 2.50 ^ HiPIC score < 3,50 a category 1; HiPIC score a 3,50 a category 2, As such, three response categories for the CBCL syndrome scores and HiPIC facet scores were obtained, with 0 = not true, 1 = somewhat or sometimes true, 2 = very or ofien true. scores below .10 are considered acceptable and scores below .05 are indicative of good fit (UUman, 2001).…”

Inflexible Parents, Inflexible Kids: A 6-Year Longitudinal Study of Parenting Style and the Development of Psychological Flexibility in Adolescents

“…Adolescents vary in their perceptions about parental authority, and in the timing of transitions in taking on greater personal control of decisions (Cumsille et al 2009). Further, some parents overreact to adolescents' strivings for greater autonomy by setting and enforcing more rules and exerting more psychological control (Kakihara et al 2010;van den Akker et al 2010). Indeed, these parental strategies may compound as older teenagers tend to experience excessive monitoring (i.e., behavioral control) as psychologically controlling (Kakihara et al 2010;Smetana and Daddis 2002).…”

Ontwikkelingstrajecten van persoonlijkheid in de adolescentie

“…Van deze eigenschappen was er alleen bij aangenaamheid sprake van een toename, bij de eigenschappen emotionele stabiliteit en zorgvuldigheid was er bij alle drie de types voornamelijk sprake van stabiliteit. Hiermee suggereren onze resultaten, net als eerdere studies (De Fruyt e.a., 2006;Van den Akker, Deković, & Prinzie, 2010), dat de vanuit het maturiteitsprincipe verwachte toenames op persoonlijkheidseigenschappen niet allemaal beginnen in de vroege adolescentie, maar wellicht pas plaatsvinden in latere levensfases.…”