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

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

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

Emotion Regulation Strategies

Emotion Regulation and Psychological Adjustment • Less Depression • Problem Solving • Reappraisal • Support Seeking • Decreased Drinking • Less Frequent Self-Harm • Possibly Better Social Functioning Overall

Emotion Regulation and Psychological Adjustment • Greater Depression and Anxiety • Denial • Increased Drinking • Increased Self-Harm • Increased Aggression • Possibly Worse Social Functioning Overall

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

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

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

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

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

Measures Emotion 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.”

Measures Psychological 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)

Measures Relationship 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

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

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

Emotion Regulation Strategies Predicting Concurrent Psychological Adjustment Outcomes (Age 21) * p < .05, *** p < .001

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

Results β = -.15* β = -.22*** Gender Family Income * p < .05, *** p < .001

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

Problem Solving (Age 21) Teens with more positive RPs report MORE problem solving in the face of stress from mothers Β = .39** SAME pattern with Emotional Support Β = -.32* Teens with less positive RPs report LESS problem solving in the face of stress from mothers * p < .05, ** p < .01

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

Social Support Seeking (Age 21) Teens with more positive RPs consistently report more social support seeking Β = .14 SAME pattern with Emotional Support Β = -.44** Teens with less positive RPs report LESS social support seeking in the face of stress from mothers SAME pattern with Reappraisal ** p < .01

Denial (Age 21) Teens with less positive RPs report MORE denial in the face of stress from mothers Β = .26 Β = -.37** Teens with more positive RPs report LESS denial in the face of stress from mothers ** p < .01

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

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

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?

Thank you! Collaborators • Joanna Chango • Megan Schad • ElieHessel • Erin Miga • Emily Marston • Amanda Hare • Nell Manning • Claire Stephenson • Jen Heliste • Katy Higgins • Amanda LeTard • Ann Spilker • Caroline White

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