Adolescent-parent discrepancies in perceptions of family functioning and early adolescent self-competence

Abstract

The relationship between discrepancies in adolescents’ and their parents’ perceptions of family functioning and adolescent self-competence was examined in a sample of 74 sixth and seventh grade students and their parents. This relationship was examined by the gender of the adolescent and the gender of the parent. Results indicated that discrepancies in adolescent-mother and adolescent-father perceptions of family functioning were related to lower levels of adolescent self-competence for girls. For boys, discrepancies in adolescent-mother perceptions of family functioning were also related to lower levels of adolescent self-competence, however, discrepancies in adolescent-father perceptions of family functioning were related to higher levels of adolescent self-competence. Explanations for these gender differences are provided. For both girls and boys, discrepancies in perceptions of family functioning predicted lower levels of self-competence and lower levels of self-competence predicted discrepancies in perceptions of family functioning. Consistent with current models of human development, these results emphasise the importance of examining both directions of influence when relationships between characteristics of the individual and the family context are explored.

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