Adolescent Information Management with Parents and Siblings

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Children whose parents are knowledgeable about their children's activities tend to have better outcomes, with reduced delinquency. It is commonly believed that most parental knowledge about their children's activities comes through active efforts of parents to monitor or solicit information from their children. Recent research indicates that voluntary disclosure of information, not parental monitoring or solicitation, is most predictive of how much parents know about their children's activities. The current research investigates two additional questions about how disclosure within families relates to adolescent well-being. First, do siblings within a family show similar patterns of disclosure with their parents? Second, does disclosure between siblings, as well as between children and parents, impact adolescent well-being? Parent-adolescent relationships do not occur within a vacuum; the broader family system and adolescents' roles within it may influence these processes. Through the use of a three-year longitudinal study of first- and second-born siblings during adolescence (and their parents), the research team aims to investigate the developmental processes involved in adolescent disclosure within the broader family system. Specifically, the differences in frequency of disclosure and the topic domains about which adolescents disclose to parents versus siblings will be examined, as well as family demographic and sibling relationship variables which may influence this process. Possible positive and negative individual adjustment outcomes associated with adolescent disclosure to siblings, separate from those associations with disclosure to parents will also be examined. The research team will also conduct family communication workshops through partnerships with local PTA and community groups within the mid-Missouri area. The sessions will focus on how best to create a family environment that encourages adolescents to disclose information about their daily lives and activities. Such an environment should increase trust within multiple family relationships, generally strengthen the family bond, and be protective for adolescent adjustment.