Date of Award

1-1-2009

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences

First Advisor

Wyndol Furman, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Anne DePrince

Third Advisor

Arthur Jones

Fourth Advisor

Edith King

Fifth Advisor

Stephen R. Shirk

Sixth Advisor

Martha Wadsworth

Keywords

Adolescence, Conflict resolution, Growth curve analyses, Parent influences, Peer influences, Romantic relationships

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to examine whether change in adolescent conflict resolution in romantic relationships is predicted by adolescents' prior interactions with mothers and friends. A community sample of 191 adolescents (96 female), representative of the U.S. population, their mothers and close friends participated in this study. Data collection began when adolescents were in 10th grade (¬Average age = 15.9, SD = .52) and continued for the next five and a half years. Results indicated that teens engaged in positive problem solving, withdrawal, and compliance far more frequently than in aggressive conflict resolution strategies. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze growth curves. Results indicated linear increases in problem solving and withdrawal over the course of late adolescence and early adulthood. Levels of compliance, verbal aggression, and physical aggression stayed the same on average. Of all predictors examined in this study, teens' negative interactions and observed conflict with friends appeared particularly predictive of conflict resolution behavior with a romantic partner in 10th grade. Support and communication skills with friends and mothers were predictive of conflict resolution behavior over time. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Pallavi Visvanathan

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

68 p.

Discipline

Clinical psychology, Developmental psychology

Download



Share

COinS