PARENT AND CHILD RELATIONSHIPS IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

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Although elementary school children cite parents as the primary providers of social and emotional support, most studies of parental influence have examined parent-child relationships of young children. In addition, the parent typically studied is the mother, and consequently we know relatively little about how fathers influence their children's social development. Another limitation to the literature is that investigators have focused on individual differences rather than normative changes, and consequently we lack information about how parent-child relationships may change across the middle childhood years. The goal of the proposed study is to examine individual differences and normative changes in mother-child and father-child relationships in middle childhood. Two aspects of parent-child relationships thought to be important in the middle childhood years are studied: attachment (Bowlby, 1979; Bowlby, 1982) and control processes (Maccoby, 1984). Using observation, interviews, and questionnaires the study: (1) examines the convergent validity of assessments of attachment and control processes; (2) tests if there is an interdependency between attachment and control processes in parent-child dyads; (3) examines age-related changes in attachment and control processes; and (4) identifies links between parent- child relationships and children's adaptation at school. These aims are achieved by recruiting 80 families with a third grader, 80 families with a sixth grader, and the children's primary teacher. Parent- child attachment is assessed through interviews and questionnaires completed by parents and children and observers' ratings of parental responsiveness. Two control processes are distinguished: parental monitoring and parent-child supervision patterns. Parental monitoring-- i.e., awareness of child activities-- is assessed via phone interviews with parents and children; parent and child contributions to the supervision process-- that is, the level of guidance a parent provides a child-- is assessed through interviews with the child and parent questionnaires. Children's teachers will complete several measures assessing the child's adaptation to school. The results will help identify normative patterns of change in parent-child relationships as well as suggest how mothers and fathers may promote their child's successful adaptation to school.