Daniel J. Dickson

Gender Differences in the Spillover Between Romantic Experiences, Work Experiences, and Individual Adjustment Across Emerging Adulthood

This study examines the interplay between negative romantic experiences, negative work experiences, and anxiety/depressive symptoms at three time points across ages 24–29 in a sample of 176 Israeli emerging adults. Males (n = 96) and females (n = 80) described different patterns of longitudinal spillover between work, romantic relationships, and well-being. For males, higher levels of negative romantic experiences predicted increases in negative work experiences, and higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms predicted increases in negative romantic experiences. For females, higher levels of negative work experiences predicted increases in later negative romantic experiences. For both males and females, higher levels of negative work experiences predicted later increases in anxiety and depressive symptoms. Findings of this study conducted on emerging adults align with existing research on work–family spillover and its effects on individual well-being.

Parental Supervision and Alcohol Abuse Among Adolescent Girls

OBJECTIVE: Inadequate parent supervision during the early adolescent years forecasts a host of conduct problems, including illicit alcohol consumption. Early pubertal maturation may exacerbate problems, because girls alienated from same-age peers seek the company of older, more mature youth. The current study examines overtime associations between parent autonomy granting and adolescent alcohol abuse during a developmental period when alcohol consumption becomes increasingly normative, to determine if early maturing girls are at special risk for problems arising from a lack of parent supervision. METHODS: At annual intervals for 4 consecutive years, a community sample of 957 Swedish girls completed surveys beginning in the first year of secondary school (approximate age: 13 years) describing rates of alcohol intoxication and perceptions of parent autonomy granting. Participants also reported age at menarche. RESULTS: Multiple-group parallel process growth curve models revealed that early pubertal maturation exacerbated the risk associated with premature autonomy granting: Alcohol intoxication rates increased 3 times faster for early maturing girls with the greatest autonomy than they did for early maturing girls with the least autonomy. Child-driven effects were also found such that higher initial levels of alcohol abuse predicted greater increases in autonomy granting as parent supervision over children engaged in illicit drinking waned. CONCLUSIONS: Early maturing girls are at elevated risk for physical and psychological adjustment difficulties. The etiology of escalating problems with alcohol can be traced, in part, to a relative absence of parent supervision during a time when peer interactions assume special significance.

Aggression can be contagious: Longitudinal associations between proactive aggression and reactive aggression among young twins.

The present study examined sibling influence over reactive and proactive aggression in a sample of 452 same-sex twins (113 male dyads, 113 female dyads). Between and within siblings influence processes were examined as a function of relative levels of parental coercion and hostility to test the hypothesis that aggression contagion between twins occurs only among dyads who experience parental coerciveness. Teacher reports of reactive and proactive aggression were collected for each twin in kindergarten (M = 6.04 years; SD = 0.27) and in first grade (M = 7.08 years; SD = 0.27). Families were divided into relatively low, average, and relatively high parental coercion-hostility groups on the basis of maternal reports collected when the children were 5 years old. In families with relatively high levels of parental coercion-hostility, there was evidence of between-sibling influence, such that one twins reactive aggression at age 6 predicted increases in the other twins reactive aggression from ages 6 to 7, and one twins proactive aggression at age 6 predicted increases in the other twins proactive aggression from ages 6 to 7. There was also evidence of within-sibling influence such that a childs level of reactive aggression at age 6 predicted increases in the same childs proactive aggression at age 7, regardless of parental coercion-hostility. The findings provide new information about the etiology of reactive and proactive aggression and individual differences in their developmental interplay.

Achieving Work and Love Authorship in Emerging Adulthood Types, Psychosocial Correlations, and Precursors

The present study examined the achievement of work and romantic authorship in 100 Israeli emerging adults (54 men) who were followed from age 22 to 29. At the age of 29, participants were asked to talk about their current occupational and romantic statuses and the changes they underwent and to reflect on the meaning of these changes. Qualitative analyses of the interviews yielded four types of achieving work and romantic authorship: in both or either domain and in only work or only romantic authorship. These types were associated with different changes in goal pursuit and well-being over time and differed across gender. Analysis of our longitudinal data also showed that low self-efficacy combined with low maternal support measured 7 years earlier was associated with the lack of authorship in all domains. Yet, when low efficacy was combined with elevated paternal support, it predicted the achievement of work authorship.

Parent contributions to friendship stability during the primary school years.

The present study examines whether characteristics of parents predict the stability of a child’s best friendships across the primary school years. Participants included 1,523 Finnish children (766 boys) who reported involvement in a total of 1,326 reciprocated friendship dyads in the 1st grade (M = 7.16 years old). At the onset of the study, mothers and fathers completed questionnaires describing their own parenting (i.e., behavioral control, psychological control, and affection toward the child) and depressive symptoms. Child scores for peer status (i.e., acceptance and rejection) were derived from 1st grade peer nomination data. Discrete-time survival analyses predicted the occurrence and timing of friendship dissolution, across 1st to 6th grades, for friendships that began in 1st grade. Parent depression and parent psychological control uniquely predicted subsequent child friendship dissolution, above and beyond the contribution of peer status variables.

Latino Children's Math Confidence: The Role of Mothers' Gender Stereotypes and Involvement across The Transition to Middle School.

The influence of parental beliefs and behaviors on children’s math confidence and performance is well documented, but few studies examine these associations over time, or in large samples of Latino/a families. This study used longitudinal data from 247 (114 sons and 133 daughters) mother-child dyads to examine whether maternal math gender stereotypes and math involvement predict changes in the mothers’ behavior or changes in the child’s perceived math competence. Maternal math gender stereotypes when children were in fifth grade predicted decreases in mothers’ involvement in their daughter’s math homework from fifth to sixth grade. Greater maternal math involvement in fifth grade predicted increases in sons’ and daughters’ perceptions of math ability from fifth to sixth grades.

Parental and Nonparental Career-Related Support Among Young Adults: Antecedents and Psychosocial Correlates

The present study examined the prevalence and role of career-related support in 100 Israeli emerging adults who were followed from ages 22 to 29. At the age of 29, participants were asked to name any significant persons who had impacted their career history. Both parents and nonfamily other adults were most frequently cited to provide career-related support. While both parents provided both emotional and professional career-related support, other adults tended to provide mainly professional support. Availability of career-related support was associated with greater occupational adequacy and higher psychosocial functioning. Parental career-related support was mainly predicted by parental support 7 years earlier. The likelihood of citing a nonparental career-related supportive relationship was predicted by increased personal efficacy and maternal support 7 years earlier. Findings of this study shed light on the role of parental and nonparental career-related support in navigating successfully the transition to adulthood.