David E. Szwedo, M.A. Joseph P. Allen, Ph.D. University of Virginia

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Experiences with Parents, Peers, and Romantic Partners During Adolescence

as Predictors of Youths’ Emotion Regulation Strategies

David E. Szwedo, M.A.Joseph P. Allen, Ph.D.

University of Virginia

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Objectives

• Discuss and examine implications of emotion regulation strategies for psychological adjustment

• Examine potential contributions of different relationship partners for predicting emotion regulation strategy use

• Explore potential buffering effects of friendships and romantic relationships against early negative mother-teen relationships

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Emotion Regulation Strategies

Adaptive Maladaptive

Self

Others

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Emotion Regulation Strategies

Adaptive Maladaptive

Self Problem Solving

Others

5

Emotion Regulation Strategies

Adaptive Maladaptive

Self Problem Solving

Reappraisal

Others

6

Emotion Regulation Strategies

Adaptive Maladaptive

Self Problem Solving

Reappraisal

OthersSocial Support

Seeking

7

Emotion Regulation Strategies

Adaptive Maladaptive

Self Problem Solving

ReappraisalDenial

OthersSocial Support

Seeking

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Emotion Regulation and Psychological Adjustment

Problem SolvingReappraisal

Support Seeking

Less Depression

Decreased DrinkingLess Frequent Self-

Harm

Possibly Better Social

Functioning Overall

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Emotion Regulation and Psychological Adjustment

Denial

Greater Depression and Anxiety

Increased DrinkingIncreased Self-HarmIncreased Aggression

Possibly Worse Social Functioning Overall

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Socialization of Emotion Regulation

• Positive relationships with mothers linked with better emotion regulation

• Several possible mechanisms– Modeling emotion regulation behavior– Quality of the relationship/interaction

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Socialization of Emotion Regulation

• Peers become considerably more influential during adolescence

• Higher quality friendships are linked with better adjustment (i.e. less anxiety, depression, hostility)

• Positive friendships may buffer against early negativity from parents

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Socialization of Emotion Regulation

• Adolescence is also marked by romantic involvement

• Romantic relationships are considered among teens’ most supportive relationships by mid-adolescence

• Considered by males to be their most supportive relationships by late adolescence

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Hypotheses

• Emotion regulation strategies will be linked to adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment

• Qualities of friendships and romantic relationships will contribute beyond mothers’ behavior to predict emotion regulation

• Positive relationships with friends and romantic partners will buffer against early negativity from mothers

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Method

• 184 adolescents, their mothers, best friends, and romantic partners

• 86 males, 98 females

• Median income in the 40K-60K range

• 58% White, 29% African-American, 13% Other/Mixed Ethnicity

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MeasuresEmotion regulation strategies (Age 21)

COPE: 10 subscales– Second order factor-analysis yielding 4 factors:

• Problem Solving– Sample: “I concentrate my efforts on doing something about it.”

• Reappraisal– Sample: “I try to see it in a different light, to make it seem more positive.”

• Social Support Seeking– Sample: “I try to get emotional support from friends or relatives.”

• Denial– Sample: “I refuse to believe that it has happened.”

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MeasuresPsychological Adjustment (Age 21)

• Anxiety: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

• Depression: Beck Depression Inventory

• Externalizing Behavior: Adult Self-Report

• Conflict with Friends: Network of Relationship Inventory (friend report of conflict, criticism, and antagonism)

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MeasuresRelationship Partner Behavior

Mothers: Teen age 13 Best Friends: Teen ages 16-18

Romantic Partners: Teen ages 17-19

• Negative Enmeshment: Coded from an interaction task rating partners on how much they personalize the disagreement and placate, pressure, ignore, and criticize the teen

• Warm Engagement: Coded from an interaction task rating partners on warmth and engagement toward the teen

• Emotional Support: Coded from an interaction task rating partners for how tuned in they are to teens’ emotional needs and the quality of emotional support they provide

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Results

• Hypothesis 1: Emotion regulation strategies will be linked to adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment

• Regressed anxiety, depressive symptoms, externalizing behavior, and conflict in friendships on each of the emotion regulation strategies

• Controlled for family income and gender

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Emotion Regulation Strategies Predicting Concurrent Psychological Adjustment Outcomes (Age 21)

Anxiety Depressive Symptoms

Externalizing Behavior

Conflictual Friendships

Active Coping

Social Support Seeking

Acceptance

Denial

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Emotion Regulation Strategies Predicting Concurrent Psychological Adjustment Outcomes (Age 21)

Anxiety Depressive Symptoms

Externalizing Behavior

Conflictual Friendships

Active Coping -.16*

Social Support Seeking -.05

Acceptance -.30***

Denial .42***

* p < .05, *** p < .001

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Emotion Regulation Strategies Predicting Concurrent Psychological Adjustment Outcomes (Age 21)

Anxiety Depressive Symptoms

Externalizing Behavior

Conflictual Friendships

Active Coping -.16* -.16*

Social Support Seeking -.05 -.18*

Acceptance -.30*** -.16*

Denial .42*** .28***

* p < .05, *** p < .001

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Emotion Regulation Strategies Predicting Concurrent Psychological Adjustment Outcomes (Age 21)

Anxiety Depressive Symptoms

Externalizing Behavior

Conflictual Friendships

Active Coping -.16* -.16* -.08

Social Support Seeking -.05 -.18* -.11

Acceptance -.30*** -.16* -.14

Denial .42*** .28*** .32***

* p < .05, *** p < .001

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Emotion Regulation Strategies Predicting Concurrent Psychological Adjustment Outcomes (Age 21)

Anxiety Depressive Symptoms

Externalizing Behavior

Conflictual Friendships

Active Coping -.16* -.16* -.08 .05

Social Support Seeking -.05 -.18* -.11 .14

Acceptance -.30*** -.16* -.14 .08

Denial .42*** .28*** .32*** .16*

* p < .05, *** p < .001

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Results

• Hypothesis 2: Qualities of friendships and romantic relationships will contribute beyond mothers’ behavior to predict emotion regulation strategy use

• Each emotion regulation strategy regressed on mothers’, best friends’, and romantic partners’ relationship quality

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Results

Social Support Seeking(Age 21)

Mothers’ Negative Enmeshment

(Age 13)

Best Friends’ Negative Enmeshment(Ages 16-18)

Romantic Partners’ Negative Enmeshment

(Ages 17-19)Gender

Family Income

β = -.15*

β = -.22***

* p < .05, *** p < .001

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Results

• Hypothesis 3: Positive relationships with friends and romantic partners will buffer against early negative enmeshment from mothers

• Examine interactions between mother negative enmeshment and warm engagement and emotional support from best friends and romantic partners

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Problem Solving (Age 21)

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

High RP Warm Engage-ment (Ages 17-19)

Mother Negativity (Teen Age 13)Low High

Β = .39**

Β = -.32*

* p < .05, ** p < .01

Teens with more positive RPs report MORE problem solving in the face of stress from mothers

Teens with less positive RPs report LESS problem solving in the face of stress from mothers

SAME pattern with Emotional Support

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Summary

• Teens with less positive romantic partners do not cope as well as those with more positive romantic partners when they have experienced negativity from their mothers

• Suggests that some teens may be resilient in the face of early negative family experiences when they have a positive romantic partner

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Social Support Seeking (Age 21)

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

High RP Warm En-gagement (Ages 17-19)

Mother Negativity (Teen Age 13)Low High

Β = .14

Β = -.44**

** p < .01

Teens with less positive RPs report LESS social support seeking in the face of stress from mothers

SAME pattern with Reappraisal

SAME pattern with Emotional Support

Teens with more positive RPs consistently report more social support seeking

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Denial (Age 21)

-0.6

-0.5

-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

High RP Emotional Support (Ages 17-19)Low RP Emotional Support (Ages 17-19)

Mother Negativity (Teen Age 13)Low High

Teens with less positive RPs report MORE denial in the face of stress from mothers

Teens with more positive RPs report LESS denial in the face of stress from mothers

Β = .26

Β = -.37**

** p < .01

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Summary• Emotion regulation strategies are concurrently

linked with aspects of young adults’ psychosocial adjustment

• Not much evidence for the independent contributions of best friends’ and romantic partners’ behaviors

• Stronger evidence for a buffering role of romantic partners’ behavior

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Discussion

• Adaptive coping skills may protect against psychological problems

• Identifies one condition in which romantic partners might be influential emotionally

• May be because romantic partners are more like attachment figures during late adolescence

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Limitations

• Cannot infer causality

• No baseline measures of emotion regulation

• May be other important relationship qualities that were not measured– Duration of relationship?– Trust?

• What predicts entry into positive romantic relationships?

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Thank you!

• Joanna Chango• Megan Schad• Elie Hessel• Erin Miga• Emily Marston• Amanda Hare• Nell Manning

• Claire Stephenson• Jen Heliste• Katy Higgins• Amanda LeTard• Ann Spilker• Caroline White

Collaborators