Parent-adolescent interaction as related to parental acceptance and family communication

Date

1979-08

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate parent-adolescent interaction as it relates to the family communication system and parental acceptance of the adolescent from a systems perspective. The subjects included in the study were 69 male and 108 female Texas high school students and 34 male and 47 female high school students from Western Canada, resulting in a total of 258 subjects. A self-report questionnaire was administered to the adolescents to assess their perception of the three variables under investigation. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was utilized to determine which of thirteen variables predicted toward a positive parent-adolescent interaction. Results indicated family communication to be a highly predictive factor of the quality of parent-adolescent interaction. The regression analysis was also utilized to determine influencing factors on the adolescent's perception of parental acceptance. Communication was again found to be highly predictive of that variable. Results of a Pearson product-moment correlation indicated a strong positive relationship to exist between the two dependent variables, parent-adolescent interaction and parental acceptance of the adolescent. Conclusions drawn from the findings suggest that systems theory may be highly functional in explaining parent-adolescent interaction in North American families. Implications for additional research and intervention strategies were discussed.

Description

Keywords

Interpersonal communication, Parent and child, Family, Adolescence

Citation