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This article examines how perceiving concealment in close relationships influences marital well-being. It suggests that the perception of concealment from a partner signals separateness from one's partner and contributes to feelings of perceived partner exclusion. These feelings of exclusion, in turn, should negatively affect relational quality. These predictions are tested in a prospective study among 199 newlywed couples. Results suggest that perceiving concealment reduced marital adjustment and trust and increased conflict over time. Importantly, change in perceived partner exclusion mediated these effects. This article demonstrates that the perception of concealment (a) has deleterious effects on relational well-being in the long run and (b) is harmful in part because it elicits feelings of exclusion. © 2009 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Although the co-occurrence between adolescent depression and delinquency has been well-studied, the nature of the longitudinal associations is not yet clear. To clarify this we examined whether personality type is a moderator in the longitudinal co-occurrence of depression and delinquency. A total of 338 young and middle adolescents completed questionnaires about depression, delinquency and personality in 3 yearly waves of the CONflict And Management Of RElationships (CONAMORE). We found that the stable overcontrollers showed the highest mean level on depression and that the stable undercontrollers showed the highest mean level on delinquency. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the longitudinal co-occurrence between depression and delinquency was best described by means of a stability model, in which personality type membership proved to be an important moderator. The three personality types differed significantly on the rank-order stability of both depression and delinquency. Copyright#2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key words: co-occurrence; depression; delinquency; person-centred approach; personality prototypes

In the Netherlands, about 20% of children do not have any contact with their non-resident parent after parental divorce. There are often many reasons underlying the broken contact, but one might well be the process of parental alienation, when the child denigrates and excludes the non-resident parent. This article presents the results of two studies conducted among divorce experts and divorced, non-resident parents. A total of 138 respondents co-operated in our studies. Of the respondents, 58% thought PAS either does not, or rarely occurs in the Netherlands, and 42% thought it does occur. The extent of parental alienation was classified as mild (33%) or moderate (9%). From our factor analysis, it became clear that Gardner's classification of eight separate symptoms of parental alienation was not evident in our research data. We were able to distinguish four separate aspects: two of them concerning alienation due to the resident parent and two concerning alienation due to the child. Our results underpin th...

Contains fulltext : 64085.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Background: Siblings may support each other, but also reveal fierce rivalry and mutual aggression. Supportive sibling relationships have been linked to the development of psychosocial competence of children. In the present longitudinal study, we will focus on the development of perceived support in sibling dyads and on the influence of sibling support and sibling problem behavior on psychosocial adjustment in adolescence. Method: In a three-wave longitudinal sample of 285 Dutch families with two adolescent children (11 - to 15-year-olds), these two siblings judged the support perceived from each other. In addition, they themselves and their parents judged their internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. The relation of sibling support and sibling problem behavior with internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors was examined while controlling for support from parents and friends and, over time, controlling for the autoregressive effects of problem behavior. Results: Support perceived from a sibling is mostly negatively related to externalizing problems; sibling problem behavior is strongly related to internalizing problems. Differential developmental trajectories of adolescents' adjustment are associated with siblings' support and problem behavior. Conclusion: The results indicate that adolescents' relationships with both older and younger siblings are characterized by modeling processes.

The effects of variables derived from a work stress theory (the effort-reward imbalance theory) on the power in the high frequency (HF_HRV) band of heart rate (0.14-0.40 Hz) throughout a work day, were determined using multilevel analysis. Explanatory variables were analysed at two levels: at the lowest level (within-day level), the effects of positive mood, negative mood, demand, satisfaction, demand-satisfaction ratio, and time of day were assessed. At the highest level (the subject level), the effects of sleep quality, effort, reward, effort-reward imbalance, need for control, type of work (profession), negative affectivity, gender and smoking on HF_HRV were assessed. Need for control has a negative effect on HF_HRV after controlling for time of day effects, i.e. subjects with a high need for control have a lower vagal control of the heart. In the long run, these subjects may be considered to be at increased health risk, because they have less of the health protective effects of vagal tone. The interaction between effort-reward imbalance and time of day has a positive effect on HF_HRV, i.e, the cardiac vagal control of subjects with a high effort-reward imbalance increases as the day progresses. It is discussed that this probably reflects reduced effort allocation, ensuing from disengagement from the work demands. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Data from three studies were used to investigate whether the establishment of a no-smoking agreement is related to lower odds of adolescent smoking. The prevalence of a no-smoking agreement was first explored by using a national sample involving 4,501 Dutch adolescents. Second, data from a longitudinal study among 595 early adolescents and their parents were used to test whether establishing a no-smoking agreement prevents adolescents from smoking. Third, the authors tested among 856 early-and mid-adolescents and their parents, whether in addition to the establishment of a no-smoking agreement, the frequency and quality of communication on smoking issues had an effect on adolescent smoking. The findings do not support that establishing a no-smoking agreement is an effective deterrent with regard to adolescent smoking. Parents who want to prevent smoking might consider focusing their efforts on establishing a good quality of communication on smoking issues whereas parents who just talk a lot about smoking issues without considering the quality of their communication might do more harm than good.

Conflict is an inevitable feature of social relationships. When people interact, disagreements may arise. Especially in close relationships, people sometimes disagree. Although conflict might jeopardize relationships, conflict is not necessarily detrimental. The way conflicts are handled is important in determining whether conflicts are functional or dysfunctional. Moreover, the way conflicts are handled might reveal information about the nature of relationships and their developmental status. In the current dissertation, the role of conflict resolution in adolescents’ relationships with their parents and friends was investigated in four empirical studies. Data of 323 adolescents and their both parents –that participated in the longitudinal project called CONAMORE (CONflict And Management Of RElationships) – are used. In the first study, we demonstrated the importance of investigating combinations of conflict resolution styles by parents and adolescents. We found that adolescents who used an aggressive conflict resolution style with parents reported higher levels of delinquency, but only when their mothers also used this aggressive conflict resolution style or when their fathers withdrew from conflicts. In the second study, we showed that parents and adolescents change the way they handle conflicts with each other over time towards more positive conflict resolution and less negative conflict resolution, reflecting a realignment of these relationships towards greater egalitarianism. In addition, we found two types of parent-adolescent dyads, one characterized by positive conflict resolution and one characterized by negative conflict resolution by both parents and adolescents. These either positive or negative pathways of conflict resolution were maintained by both parents and adolescents. The third study examined whether transmission of conflict resolution styles from the marital relationship to the adolescent-parent relationship occurred and we indeed found that conflict resolution styles in the marital relationships predicted conflict resolution styles in the adolescent-parent relationship two years later. Finally, in our fourth study, we were able to investigate the daily dynamics of conflict and conflict resolution in adolescent relationships with parents and friends by means of a daily diary method. We demonstrated that perceived relationship satisfaction was highest in a particular relationship on days on which no conflict occurred, second highest on days on which constructive conflict occurred and lowest on days on which unconstructive conflict occurred. Moreover, we demonstrated that whereas unconstructively handled conflict with best friends was related to higher relationship satisfaction the next day, conflict with parents was not related to relationship satisfaction the next day.

When studying family relationships, researchers often are interested in relational phenomena at an individual level, such as whether an individual child thrives in a particular family context; relational phenomena at the dyadic level, such as whether the mother is more committed than the father to the relationship; and relational phenomena at the familial level, such as whether some families are more satisfied with their relationships than other families. These three levels of relational phenomena, that is, individuals, dyadic relationships, and groups have to be distinguished and are reciprocally related within the family system (Hinde, 1997; Laursen & Bukowski, 1997). However, their theoretical and methodological interdependence represents a challenge for empirical investigation. The family as a group includes the individual family members and relationships, but these parts combine in such a way that new structures emerge which have their own meaning and are more than a collection of its members and relationships and which may affect relationships and the relationship partners (Reis, Collins, & Berscheid, 2000). Both statistical methods and theoretical frameworks are needed that allow us to disentangle the three levels and the influence they exert on each other and to capture the truly social nature of family relationships.

The aim of this study is to examine the role of parental support and control on young adolescent smoking initiation, increase, continuation, and cessation. Longitudinal data gathered every 6 months over a one-year period were collected in Utrecht, The Netherlands, for 1,012 adolescents in 2000. Logistic regressions demonstrated that low parental control predicted adolescent smoking initiation but neither support nor control predicted adolescent smoking increase or continuation. Parental smoking status was important in adolescent smoking continuation and cessation. Suggestions based on these findings are made for prevention programs. A limitation is that the study only utilized adolescent reports.

Om te onderzoeken waarom conflicten tussen adolescenten en hun ouders soms wel maar soms niet samenhangen met problematische psychosociale aanpassing van adolescenten, werd de modererende rol van conflictoplossing op deze samenhang onderzocht. Respondenten waren 1.313 Nederlandse jongeren in de vroege en middenadolescentie (12 en 17 jr.), die vragenlijsten invulden over hun conflicten en conflictoplossing met vader en moeder en verschillende aanpassingsproblemen. Vijf typen adolescenten konden worden onderscheiden die gekenmerkt waren door verschillende patronen van conflictoplossing. Deze typen verschilden betekenisvol van elkaar in conflicten met ouders en in aanpassingsproblemen. Bovendien waren conflicten sterker gerelateerd met externaliserend probleemgedrag voor een type dat gekenmerkt werd door terugtrekken en laag positief probleemoplossen en sterker gerelateerd aan internaliserend probleemgedrag voor een type dat voornamelijk negatieve manieren gebruikte om conflicten met ouders op te lossen.

Although the stability and changeability of personality has long been debated, many studies now agree that personality changes over the life course. Although the changes in rank-order and mean-level stability are well established, the stability in personality type membership during adolescence is not yet clear. Little research has been conducted on the associations between change in personality type membership and anxiety. A total of 827 adolescents (10-20 years) completed personality and anxiety questionnaires on 2 waves of the CONflict And Management Of RElationships study (CONAMORE). We found that the stability in personality type membership was moderate. The change from undercontroller to overcontroller was the most frequently occurring change. Furthermore, the stability in type membership was related to stability in anxiety level and change in type membership was related to anxiety change. More specifically, the resilient-overcontroller group demonstrated an increase in anxiety level, whereas the overcontroller-resilient group demonstrated a decrease.

Dit onderzoek richt zich op ontwikkeling van de persoonlijkheid tijdens de adolescentie. Twee adolescente kinderen uit 285 twee-oudergezinnen beoordeelden in drie meetronden met tussenpozen van een jaar hun eigen en elkaars persoonlijkheid. Ook beide ouders beoordeelden de persoonlijkheid van de adolescenten. Persoonlijkheid bleek gemiddeld stabiel over tijd, maar voor een aanzienlijke subgroep was er sprake van een aanzienlijke intra-individuele verandering. Versnelde groeicurveanalyses toonden aan dat Aangenaamheid en Openheid toenamen bij adolescenten van elf tot zeventien jaar en dat voor meisjes Zorgvuldigheid toenam en Emotionele stabiliteit afnam. Resultaten bevestigden dat er gedurende de adolescentie persoonlijkheidsontwikkeling plaatsvindt, maar dat de aard van deze veranderingen ook afhangt van het type beoordelaar.

The authors examined aspects of reliability and validity of the Goodenough-Harris Draw-A-Person Test (DAP; D. B. Harris, 1963). The participants were 115 seven- to nine-year-old students attending regular or special education schools. Three judges, with a modest degree of training similar to that found among practicing clinicians, rated the students' human figure drawings on developmental and personality variables. The authors found that counting details and determining developmental level in the DAP test could be carried out reliably by judges with limited experience. However, the reliability of judgments of children's social and emotional development and personality was insufficient. Older students and students attending regular schools received significantly higher scores than did younger students or students attending special education schools. The authors found that the success of the DAP test as an indicator of cognitive level, socioemotional development, and personality is limited when global judgments are used. The authors concluded that more specific, reliable, valid, and useful scoring systems are needed for the DAP test.

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Contains fulltext : 54488.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Do more agreeable individuals perceive more support, and are they perceived as more supportive, across all family relationships or only within specific relationships? In a study of 256 Dutch two-parent families with two adolescents, we examine whether links between Agreeableness and support are generalised across relationships or occur within specific relationships. Social Relations Model analyses showed that individuals who perceive their family members as more agreeable perceive more support from family members across relationships. Also, individuals who are perceived as more agreeable are perceived as more supportive across relationships, except for mothers. In addition, individuals who perceive specific family members as more agreeable perceive these specific members as more supportive. However, individuals who are perceived as more agreeable perceive more support only within specific relationships. Thus, agreeable family members are supportive across relationships, but agreeable family members perceive support only within specific relationships.

Contains fulltext : 54518.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) The present study examined the relation between perceived justice and trust within family relationships and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problem behavior. Data were gathered from the father, the mother, and two of their adolescent children in 288 families. The social relations model was used to assess perceived justice and trust at the family level and the individual level. Adolescent internalizing and externalizing problem behavior turned out to be best predicted at the family level. Adolescents from families with less just or trustworthy climates showed more of these problem behaviors. Also associations between adolescent problem behavior and individual characteristics of the adolescents were found: adolescents who were generally viewed as less just/trustworthy were reported to have more problems. Our findings suggest that processes at different levels of family functioning (i.e., individual, whole-family) should be taken into account when investigating associations between family characteristics and children's outcomes.

Contains fulltext : 55696.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) In family research, bidirectional influences between the family and the individual are usually analyzed in discrete time. Results from discrete time analysis, however, have been shown to be highly dependent on the length of the observation interval. Continuous time analysis using stochastic differential equations has been proposed to circumvent this problem. The present study examined the bidirectional influences between family relationships and adolescent problem behavior by means of both discrete- and continuous-time cross-lagged panel analysis. The effect of the length of the observation interval on the results from both procedures was investigated. Data were collected from a community sample of 288 Dutch families consisting of a father, a mother, and two of their adolescent children. Whereas results from discrete time analyses differed considerably when a 2-year instead of a 1-year interval between measurements was used, results from continuous time analysis appeared to be less affected by the length of the observation interval. Continuous time analysis revealed family relationship characteristics and levels of adolescent problem behavior to be highly stable over time. Relatively small cross-lagged effects were found between family relationships and adolescent problem behaviors.

Contains fulltext : 55706.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Similarity in personality between adolescents and their parents may have considerable implications for adolescent well-being. We studied how the similarity in personality between 288 adolescents and their parents is linked to adolescent problem behaviour, and whether this link is mediated by warmth and control in the parent–child relationship and moderated by the personality type of the adolescent. Similarity in personality between adolescents and their parents was negatively related to internalizing and externalizing problem behaviour, both concurrently and over time. This relation was not mediated by the parent–child relationship. The effects were present for overcontrolled but not for resilient or undercontrolled adolescents.

Background: This study sought the answer to three questions: 1. Is having an intimate partner associated with the level of delinquency? 2. Does the quality of the relationship with an intimate partner, operationalised as partner support, predict the level of delinquency? 3. Does a relationship with an intimate partner or age moderate the association between parental support and delinquency? Method: Data from a three‐wave, six‐year longitudinal study of 1302 adolescents and young adults, aged 12–23 at wave 1, were used. Results: 1. Univariate latent growth curve analysis showed that, as predicted, having an intimate partner does not lead to less criminality among young adults over the age of 20. We found no support for the hypothesis among the group of 12‐ to 20‐year‐old adolescents, since the group of mid‐adolescents who consistently have a partner is more criminal than the other groups. 2. Our findings show that partner support is negatively related to criminality in both 12‐ to 20‐year‐olds and 21‐ to 23‐year‐olds. The longitudinal effect of partner support is also uni‐directional: partner support T1 certainly has an impact on criminality T3, but the reverse is not true. In both groups the influence of partner support is also greater than that of parental support. 3. Having an intimate partner moderates the association between parental support and delinquency, but in an age‐specific manner. Parental support has no bearing on criminality when adolescents and young adults continuously have an intimate partner. Parental support does, however, cause a reduction in the level of criminality in adolescents and young adults who have never had a partner and adolescents who only have a partner at time 3. Conclusions: We interpret our results in terms of shifts in the relational system: if an adolescent finds a partner, that partner takes over the role of the parents in reducing criminality; if not, the parents remain important in doing so.

Contains fulltext : 64634.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) The authors investigated the longitudinal relations between family members' Big Five personality factors and perceived support. Members of 285 two-parent families with 2 adolescent children judged their own and other family members' Big Five factors and the support perceived from the other members on 3 occasions at 12-month intervals. The Big Five factor Agreeableness was particularly related to perceived support. Changes in individuals' Big Five factors were linked to changes in the support they perceived themselves but even more to changes in the support that other family members perceived from them. Results are consistent with the parallel continuities hypothesis: Individual characteristics will be stable when there is stability in the supportive environment, but when the environment is changing, personality tends to change in the same direction, and vice versa.