A Measurement Framework to Determine the Construct Validity of ADHD/ODD Rating Scales: Additional Evaluations of the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory

A multiple group confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the invariance of an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-inattention, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-hyperactivity/impulsivity, oppositional defiant disorder toward adults, academic and social competence five-factor model across of independent groups of Thai adolescents with the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory (CADBI). Mothers and fathers’ ratings on 872 adolescents were compared to mothers and fathers’ ratings on a different group of 983 adolescents. The design allowed four invariance analyses (i.e., mothers’ ratings of the first group compared to mothers’ ratings of the second group; fathers’ ratings of first group compared to fathers’ ratings of the second group; mothers’ ratings of first group compared to fathers’ ratings of the second group; and fathers’ ratings of first group compared to mothers’ ratings of second group). Support was found for the invariance of like-symptom loadings and symptom intercepts as well as like-factor variances, covariances, and factor means across the four invariance analyses. The findings further expand the construct validity of the CADBI. The paper also introduces a multiple indicators by multiple traits by multiple methods by multiple sources by multiple occasions by multiple groups’ measurement matrix to guide the evaluation of the construct validity of ADHD/ODD rating scales.     

Accuracy of Informants: Do Parents Think That Mother Knows Best?

A total of 200 mothers and fathers provided their opinions as to the accuracy of mothers, fathers, teachers, children's peers, and children themselves as informants of children's emotional/behavioral problems. The results showed that mothers and fathers had very similar patterns of perceptions of accuracy, although fathers' ratings showed less differentiation between informants than did mothers' ratings. Patterns were very similar for reports on children and adolescents. Overall, mothers were perceived to be more accurate in reporting internalizing problems; mothers and teachers (and fathers to a lesser extent) were perceived to be more accurate in reporting externalizing problems; mothers, fathers, and teachers were seen as more accurate in reporting children's adaptive behaviors, and mothers, fathers, and children were seen as more accurate in reporting family problems. The results are discussed in the context of multiple informants of children's and adolescents' emotional/behavioral problems.     

Relations of Parenting Styles and Friendship Quality to Self-Esteem,Life Satisfaction and Happiness in Adolescents

This study aims to examine the effects of mother’s and father’s perceived parenting style and friendship quality on several indicators of adolescents’ well-being. High school students (n?=?401) completed scales assessing their perception of their mother’s and father’s parenting style (authoritarian, authoritative and permissive), quality of friendship, self-esteem, general satisfaction with life and subjective happiness. The results showed that the perceived parenting style of both parents as well as the quality of friendship had significant effects on adolescent’s well-being, while the interaction effects of friendship quality and either parent’s parenting style were not significant. Adolescents of authoritative and permissive mothers reported higher self-esteem and life satisfaction than adolescents who had authoritarian mothers. Also, adolescents who considered their mothers authoritative were happier than those with authoritarian mothers. Adolescents who perceived their fathers as authoritative or permissive showed higher results on all assessed indicators of well-being than adolescents whose fathers were authoritarian. Furthermore, adolescents with a higher quality of friendship reported more happiness, life-satisfaction and self-esteem. The obtained results highlight the importance of the role of parents and peers in fostering positive development in adolescence.     

Differential effects of maternal- and paternal-adolescent attachments on friendship security and intimacy

The present study examined the differential contributions of adolescent-reported maternal and paternal attachment anxiety and avoidance on friendship security and intimacy. Participants were 776 Canadian adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 years (M = 15.18, SD = 1.58) who provided ratings of their perceived attachment avoidance and anxiety towards their mothers and fathers and responded to measures of friendship security and intimacy. Findings showed that maternal and paternal attachment avoidance and not anxiety negatively predicted friendship security. Moreover, maternal attachment avoidance was negatively associated with friendship intimacy. Multigroup analyses showed that security was negatively predicted by maternal anxious attachment for junior high school boys and girls. Additionally, paternal avoidant attachment was negatively associated with friendship intimacy for junior high school boys and girls. These findings highlight the unique effects associated with maternal and paternal attachment on specific friendship features and underscore the importance of the role of fathers in adolescence.     

Satisfaction with Parenting: A Comparison Between Adolescent Mothers and Fathers

In this study we compared adolescent mothers and the fathers of their infants to examine levels of and predictors of parenting satisfaction. Participants were 41 adolescent mothers who were contacted through alternative school programs and the fathers of their infants. Not all of the fathers were adolescents. The sample was racially diverse (White, Black, Native American, and Hispanic). Correlation and t test analyses were conducted and those variables that were significantly correlated with parenting satisfaction were used in regression analyses. Mothers' parenting satisfaction and paternal control scores were higher than fathers' scores. Self-esteem, age at the baby's birth, and social support satisfaction significantly predicted parenting satisfaction for fathers, whereas only self-esteem and social support satisfaction did so for mothers.     

Agreement among adolescents, parents, and teachers on adolescent personality

Agreement between adolescents, mothers, fathers, and teachers on adolescents' personality traits was investigated in a longitudinal study. The targets for personality ratings were the adolescents who participated in the European Youth Heart Study in Estonia. There were 593 participants in the first wave and 480 participants in the follow-up study 3 years later. Adolescents' self-reports as well as father, mother, and teacher ratings were collected using questionnaires to measure the five-factor model of personality. In both waves, inter-rater agreement was highest between mothers and fathers, was low to moderate for parent-self ratings, and was lowest for ratings between self and teacher, mother and teacher, and father and teacher. Test-retest correlations were moderate for parent and self-ratings but failed to reach statistical significance for three of the five teacher-rated traits, suggesting lower reliability of teacher ratings. Possible explanations for the low agreement between teachers and other judges are discussed.     

Maternal and Paternal Perceptions of Social Competence in Children and Adolescents

We examined maternal and paternal perceptions of social competence in children and adolescents. One hundred forty-seven parents rated scenarios depicting children who varied in age, gender, and social competence. Parents also completed questionnaires assessing the amount of time they spend with their own children, their gender identity, their psychological symptoms, and their affectivity. Results indicated that the amount of time parents spend with their own children was related to maternal and paternal ratings, whereas affectivity was related to paternal ratings. In contrast, parents’ gender identity and psychological symptoms were unrelated to their ratings of social competence. Finally, there was an interaction between parent gender and the level of social competence depicted in the scenarios they rated, suggesting that there were differences in maternal and paternal ratings. These findings emphasize the importance of examining the perceptions of both mothers and fathers when assessing social competence in children and adolescents.     

Adolescent Cell Phone Communications with Mothers and Fathers: Content,Patterns, and Preferences

Adolescents participated in qualitative interviews (N?=?40) and permitted researchers to check their cell phone histories (N?=?35) for the content and frequency of text and call communications with parents. Communications focused predominantly on day-to-day “managerial” aspects of parent–child relationships but also facilitated emotional connections between adolescents and parents. Adolescents preferred to use texts to engage in managerial communications and calls to connect emotionally, but logistical constraints resulted in most cell phone communications between adolescents and parents involving calls. Participants communicated more with mothers than fathers, regardless of communication content or medium. This was true regardless of family structure, although gender-of-parent differences were accentuated for adolescents in mother-only households. This pattern was explained by both greater maternal accessibility and adolescent preferences for communication with mothers. Communications with fathers tended to occur either when mothers were not available or when the communication was focused on a highly specific set of stereotypically masculine content areas.     

Immigrant and Native-born Mexican-American parents' involvement in a public school: a preliminary study

Mexican-American parents of Texas elementary school students were surveyed to compare the types of school involvement in which immigrant and U.S.-born parents engage. Those completing the questionnaire included 246 mothers and 39 fathers born in Mexico as well as 95 mothers and 13 fathers born in the United States. More immigrant parents than U.S.-born parents indicated they helped their children with school work, attended school board meetings, volunteered at school, participated in parent-teacher conferences, went to school functions, served as room mother, engaged in school fundraising, and were present during parent advisory committee meetings.     

Parentification and the Impostor Phenomenon: An Empirical Investigation

The therapeutic alliance has consistently predicted client outcomes in psychotherapy. This study uses attachment theory as a resource in understanding the therapeutic alliance. Participants in this study were 27 mothers, 15 fathers, and 23 adolescents that participated in family therapy. Results indicate that mothers' reports of trust in their oldest child predicted the alliance, and adolescent ratings of trust in mothers and fathers moderated the relationship between therapy alliance and symptom distress. Implications for family therapy research and practice are discussed.     

Examining Links Among Parents’ Depressive Symptoms,Attacking Conflict Behaviors,Childrearing Disagreements,and Over-Reactive Discipline

This study examined links among parents’ depressive symptoms, attacking conflict behaviors, childrearing disagreements, and their over-reactive discipline using a community sample of 39 mothers and fathers. Correlational analyses provided considerable support for the expected associations among the study variables. Notably, when a regression-based approach recommended by Baron and Kenny (J Pers Soc Psychol 51:1173–1182, 1986) was applied to the data in order to more fully explore the links among the study variables, findings indicated different pathways of influence among the study variables for mothers and fathers. Mothers’ attacking behaviors partially mediated the link between their depressive symptoms and over-reactive discipline; whereas, fathers’ depressive symptoms and attacking behaviors were independent predictors of their over-reactive discipline. Further, fathers’ childrearing disagreements served as a mediator in the link between their depressive symptoms and over-reactive discipline. Findings suggest important targets for therapeutic intervention and lend support to the Family Systems Theory notion of spillover effects, especially where fathers are concerned.     

Three measures of closeness in adolescents’ relationships with parents and friends: Variations and developmental significance

Two studies examined the nature and developmental significance of closeness in adolescents’ relationships with parents and friends. Three measures of relationship closeness (i.e., interdependence, emotional tone, and subjective opinion) were compared and contrasted. In Study 1, grade and gender differences in closeness in relationships with mothers, fathers, and friends were examined. Participants were 133 adolescents in Grades 7, 9, and 11 and 135 of their parents. Closeness in relationships with mothers, fathers, and friends varied based on closeness measure, grade of adolescent, gender of adolescent, and gender of parent. The results suggest that the interdependence measure offers a perspective on adolescents’ close relationships that differs from that provided by the emotional tone and subjective opinion measures. In Study 2, associations were examined between the three measures of closeness in adolescents’ relationships with mothers, fathers, and friends and adolescents’ problem behavior, substance use, and school performance. Participants included 107 adolescents in Grades 7 and 10. In combination, the measures of closeness in relationships with mothers and with fathers explained significant variability in the criterion variables, and reports of interdependence and emotional tone emerged as unique, significant predictors. The results highlight distinctions among the three conceptualizations that are commonly purported to assess a close relationship and point to the utility and validity of interdependence and emotional tone as measures of closeness in adolescents’ relationships.     

Maternal Appraisal Styles,Family Risk Status and Anger Biases of Children

The present study investigated the relationship between maternal appraisal styles, family risk status, and anger biases in children. Participants included 90 mothers and their children between 3–6 years of age. Eighty families were followed up 1 year later. Maternal appraisal styles were assessed via a naturalistic story-reading method, and Time 1 and Time 2 emotion biases included teacher ratings of anger and aggression, peer ratings of anger, as well as classroom and playground observations of anger. While discussing ambiguous stories with their children, mothers with higher scores on the family risk index utilized more hostile appraisals and fewer prosocial appraisals in their explanations. A higher proportion of hostile-to-prosocial appraisals was also related to higher-risk family status. Prosocial appraisals by mothers were inversely correlated with childrens anger biases at school. When the appraisal balance in mothers talk favored hostile appraisals, children tended to show higher levels of anger biases evidenced at school. Finally, a hostile balance of maternal appraisals was found to predict change in childrens anger biases in the school with different effects in high- and low-risk families.     

Infants of “depressed” mothers interact better with their nondepressed fathers

To determine whether infants of “depressed” mothers interact better with their nondepressed fathers, twenty-six 3- to 6-month-old infants were videotaped during face-to-face interactions with their parents. The “depressed” mother group consisted of twelve 3- to 6-month-old infants and their “depressed” mothers and nondepressed fathers. The control group was composed of 14 nondepressed mothers and nondepressed fathers and their 3- to 6-month-old infants. In the “depressed” mother group, the nondepressed fathers received better interaction ratings than the “depressed” mothers. In turn, the infants received better interaction ratings when they interacted with their nondepressed fathers than with their “depressed” mothers. In contrast, nondepressed fathers and mothers and their infants in the control group did not differ on any of their interaction ratings. These findings suggest that infants' difficult interaction behaviors noted during interactions with their “depressed” mothers may not extend to their nondepressed fathers. The data are discussed with respect to the notion that nondepressed fathers may “buffer” the effects of maternal depression on infant interaction behavior.     

Relationships Between Evaluations of Self and Parents by Children from Intact and Divorced Families

In the present study 639 fifth through eighth grade boys and girls from a total of 14 school districts across the State of Kansas voluntarily filled out evaluative surveys for each of the following target groups: “yourself,” “mother,” “father,” and when applicable, “stepfather.” In accordance with Lifshitz's model and the findings reported by Parish and Copeland, children from intact families were found to have self-concepts that were significantly correlated with how they evaluated their mothers and fathers. In addition, children from divorced families were found to have self-concepts that were significantly correlated with their ratings of their mothers and stepfathers, but not with their fathers. However, of those children from divorced families, those whose parents had been divorced for less than two years had self-concepts that were strongly correlated with their evaluations of their mothers and also significantly correlated with their evaluations of both their natural fathers and their stepfathers.     

The Impact of Maternal Depressive Symptoms on Adolescents’ Aggression: Role of Parenting and Family Mediators

Previous research has found an association between mothers’ depressive symptoms and their adolescents’ involvement in aggression. The present study examined three mechanisms believed to account for this relation: parenting practices, family functioning, and informant discrepancy. Participants were a high-risk sample of 927 mother–adolescent dyads (66% African American) who completed baseline assessments for the Multisite Violence Prevention Project. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Adolescents’ aggression was assessed using parent- and teacher-report on the Behavior Assessment System for Children and student-report on the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale. Mothers’ reports of depressive symptoms were significantly related to their adolescents’ aggression based on student, teacher, and mothers’ reports, with the strongest correlations found with mothers’ reports. Multilevel modeling indicated that maternal depressive symptoms were related to the degree of discrepancy between mothers’ ratings of their adolescents’ aggression and ratings by adolescents and their teachers. Smaller discrepancies between mothers’ and teachers’ ratings of adolescents’ aggression were found for depressed mothers, as compared to non-depressed mothers. Structural equation models indicated that the relation between maternal depressive symptoms and mothers’ report of adolescents’ aggression was mediated by several parenting and family functioning variables, with the clearest effects for parenting practices. Similar findings were not found in analyses predicting adolescents’ ratings and teachers’ ratings. These findings underscore the potential direct and indirect benefits of interventions focused on reducing depression among mothers with adolescent children.     

The effect of maternal employment on adolescent daughters

This report considers the question of the effects of maternal employment on adolescents. The frequently cited conclusion that there is "no difference between the adolescents of employed and nonemployed mothers" is considered inaccurate. It is argued that failure to find differences between these two groups does not mean that there are no differences. Comparisons of personal relationships within the family context showed that daughters of nonemployed mothers had a closer relationship with their fathers, perceived them as happier and more friendly, and experienced less anger and tension in the home.     

Internalizing problems of adolescents: The role of the informant in identifying family and individual difficulties

The purpose of this study was to examine the family environment and school functioning of adolescents who differed on level of internalizing problems as reported by the adolescent and her/his mother. Thirty-six adolescents, their mothers, and their social studies teacher served as participants. Three groups were formed based on the report of level of internalizing problems: high mother and adolescent report (high concordant); low mother/high adolescent report (discordant); and low mother/low adolescent report (low concordant). The results indicated that the high concordant group, but not the discordant group, differed significantly from the low discordant group in that adolescents from the former group were from home environments with more difficulties (more interparental conflict, maternal depression, & maternal anxiety) and had more internalizing problems and lower grades in school. The results point to the importance of parent-report data when clinically assessing adolescents or conducting research on internalizing problems of adolescents.     

The Role of Ethnic Socialization,Ethnic Identity and Self-Esteem: Implications for Bi-ethnic Adolescents’ School Adjustment

Bi-ethnic adolescents of marriage migrant mothers in Korea are often encouraged to be “pure” Koreans for their adjustments and not given the opportunities to explore their ethnic identity or to learn about their mother’s culture of origin. Existing studies conducted with mono-ethnic minorities in other countries, however, do not support this belief. We tested a conceptual model on the role of ethnic socialization, ethnic identity and self-esteem on school adjustment among bi-ethnic adolescents in Korea based on social identity theory and theoretical models of ethnic socialization and ethnic identity. We used data from 2015 National Survey of Multicultural Families. The study sample consisted of 296 adolescents aged 9–18 who were born between Korean fathers and Vietnamese marriage migrant mothers. We used structural equation modeling to specifically examine the association between ethnic socialization in terms of parents’ linguistic socialization and adolescents’ school adjustment mediated by ethnic identity in the form of ethnic regard and self-esteem among bi-ethnic adolescents. The results verified the hypothesized model, showing positive relationships between linguistic socialization and ethnic regard, ethnic regard and self-esteem, self-esteem and school adjustment, and ethnic regard and school adjustment. Additionally, the results of bootstrapping test showed that the indirect effect of linguistic socialization on self-esteem through ethnic regard was significant. The indirect effect of ethnic regard on school adjustment through self-esteem was significant and the indirect effect of linguistic socialization on school adjustment via ethnic regard and self-esteem was also significant. These results shed light on the important role of ethnic identity fostered at home among bi-ethnic adolescents of marriage migrant mothers in Korea.