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Parent-Child Synchrony and Adolescent Adjustment

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Abstract

This study of 984 children and their parents examined the correlates of adolescent psychosocial adjustment. Based on previous research, it was expected that parental involvement and limit-setting would predict conduct disorder scores and that variables associated with the parent-child relationship, particularly parent-child synchrony, would be more closely related to emotional adjustment and social relationship measures. Contrary to expectations, parenting practices were unrelated to adolescent conduct disorder, but family harmony and adult-child synchrony predicted all measures of adolescent adjustment. It is concluded that positive parenting is not something adults do to children, but a quality of the parent-child relationship characterized by family harmony and parental empathy. Implications for social work practice with adolescents and their families are identified.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Administration & Social Work, Flinders University of South Australia, PO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia

    James G. Barber

  2. Social Work Department, Northern Territory University, Darwin

    Floyd Bolitho

  3. Principal Research, Canadian Research Institute for Law and The Family, University of Calgary, Alberta

    Lorne Bertrand

Authors
  1. James G. Barber
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  2. Floyd Bolitho
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  3. Lorne Bertrand
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Barber, J.G., Bolitho, F. & Bertrand, L. Parent-Child Synchrony and Adolescent Adjustment. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 18, 51–64 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026673203176

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