Un análisis longitudinal de la comunicación entre madres y adolescentes

Abstract

Communication between mothers and adolescents is a fundamental aspect of the family dynamic that influences not only the development and well-being of the children but also that of their parents. Despite the initial years of adolescence being a difficult time for communication within families, no investigations have been carried out which deal until the changes in family communication throughout adolescence. This study has two objectives: on the one hand, to analyse the development of communication patterns throughout adolescence, taking into account the possible differences in the sex of adolescent and their parents; and on the other hand, to compare the different perspectives of mother and adolescents. For this, we evaluated the communication that a sample of 101 adolescents had with their parents at three different time points –initial, middle and late adolescence-. Equally, we interviewed the mothers at the same times. Among the most interesting results, stood out the fact that, in general, mothers and adolescents have a positive view of communication within the family, although mothers perceive there to be more frequent communication that their sons or daughters. On the other hand, both boys and girls say that they talk to their mother more than to their father. This and other results are discussed.