Perceptions and response styles of referred adolescent girls with family problems

Therapists working with adolescents with family-related problems would benefit from research identifying characteristic parent and peer problem situations encountered by referred adolescents, the content of the adolescent's perceptions of parent and peer models, parental child-rearing styles, and typical interpersonal response styles of the adolescents and their parents. Thirty adolescent girls with low family self-concepts were compared with matched controls on measures of the adolescent's responses to structured interview items designed to tap the above areas. Responses were categorized by two independent judges. Results indicated that referred adolescents tended to report (1) parental evaluations categorized as promiscuous or psychologically abnormal/worthless/cruel, (2) descriptions of parents categorized as cause of parent/adolescent conflict or psychologically abnormal, (3) typical parental disciplinary styles categorized as physical punishment, or lax-inconsistent/threats to harm/neglect, (4) descriptions of best friends categorized as conduct disorders, or as having similar problems, (5) descriptions of their own typical responses in stressful situations involving parents categorized as active or passive defiance, or passive helplessness and (6) descriptions of their own characteristic responses in stressful situations involving female peers categorized as verbal or physical abuse, or withdraw/internalize. Application of findings to therapy with adolescents and families is discussed.