Variations of Parent and Adolescent Emotional Expression: Differences by Pubertal Status, Gender, and Conversation

This study examined the effects of adolescent pubertal status, adolescent gender, parent gender, and conversation topic on parent and adolescent affective expression. Subjects were 85 adolescents in fifth through ninth grade who participated in 2 separate 8-minute conversations, one pleasant and one unpleasant, with their mother and father separately. Results showed that in general, less positive and more negative affect was expressed during late puberty than during early- or mid-puberty. Father-adolescent interactions were more neutral than mother-adolescent interactions. Pleasant conversations were more neutral, and contained more positive and less negative affect, than unpleasant conversations. Results are discussed in terms of the distancing hypothesis, dyadic differences in relationships, and situational influences. (Author/MM)