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Individual Differences in Adolescents’ Emotional Reactivity across Relationship Contexts

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Abstract

Understanding individual differences in adolescents’ ability to regulate emotions within interpersonal relationships is paramount for healthy development. Thus, the effect of individual vulnerabilities (depressive affect, social anxiety, self-blame, and coping efficacy problems) on the transmission of emotional reactivity in response to conflict from family to peers (friends and romantic partners) was prospectively examined across six waves of data in a community-based sample of 416 adolescents (Mage Wave 1 = 11.90, 51% girls). Multiple-group models estimated in structural equation modeling suggested that youth who were higher in social anxiety or coping efficacy problems were more likely to transmit emotional reactivity developed in the family-of-origin to emotional reactivity in response to conflict in close friendships. Additionally, those youth higher in self-blame and depressive affect were more likely to transmit emotional reactivity from friendships to romantic relationships.

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Acknowledgements

I thank the staff of the Family Life Project for their unending contributions to this work and the youth, parents, teachers, and school administrators who made this research possible. This research was supported by a grant from The National Institute of Mental Health, R01-MH59248.

Authors’ Contributions

C.B. conceived of this initial research study, received funding for this study, and oversaw the design and data collection. E.C.C., C.B., and B.L.B. collaborated in the generation of the specific research question addressed in this manuscript. E.C.C. conducted all of the statistical analyses, wrote the methods and discussion sections, as well as helped write the literature review. B.L.B. took primary responsibility for writing the literature review and provided comments on the manuscript. C.B. also provided comments on all parts of the manuscript and helped provide support in the framing of the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Rhode Island College, 600 Mount Pleasant Ave., Providence, RI, 02908, USA

    Emily C. Cook

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA

    Bethany L. Blair

  3. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina - Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Cheryl Buehler

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  1. Emily C. Cook
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Correspondence to Emily C. Cook.

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All ethical standards were complied with for this study.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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This study was approved by the IRB.

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All families gave informed consent for the adolescents and themselves to participate in this study. In addition, adolescents assented to participation.

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Cook, E.C., Blair, B.L. & Buehler, C. Individual Differences in Adolescents’ Emotional Reactivity across Relationship Contexts. J Youth Adolescence 47, 290–305 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0673-9

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