Direct and Indirect Transmission of Relationship Functioning Across Generations

Relationship functioning is assumed to propagate across subsequent generations, but most studies have lacked appropriate methodologies to test this assumption prospectively. In a randomly selected sample of youth (N = 821) followed prospectively for over 25 years across multiple generations, we exam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family psychology 2011-12, Vol.25 (6), p.942-952
Main Authors: Ehrensaft, Miriam K., Knous-Westfall, Heather M., Cohen, Patricia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Adult Children - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Childrearing Practices
Cohort Studies
Couple and family
Courtship - psychology
Depression
Depression - psychology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Intergenerational Relations
Intergenerational relationships
Interpersonal Relations
Interpersonal Relationships
Major Depression
Male
Medical sciences
Mental depression
Models, Psychological
Mood disorders
Parenting
Parenting - psychology
Parents
Parents & parenting
Parents - psychology
Personal relationships
Prevention
Prospective Studies
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Quality
Relationship Quality
Romance
Romantic relationships
Sexual Partners - psychology
Social psychology
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomic Status
Socioemotional Functioning
Time Factors
Young Adult
Youth
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Summary:Relationship functioning is assumed to propagate across subsequent generations, but most studies have lacked appropriate methodologies to test this assumption prospectively. In a randomly selected sample of youth (N = 821) followed prospectively for over 25 years across multiple generations, we examined the association of romantic engagement (i.e., emotional involvement and closeness) between parents with offspring romantic relationship quality. We tested two developmental pathways linking parents' romantic engagement with offspring adult romantic relationship quality, the first operating via parenting practices, and the second operating via adolescent depression. Parents' romantic engagement predicted offspring romantic relationship quality a mean of 17 years later, net age and socioeconomic status. Results supported a developmental pathway from parents' romantic engagement at offspring mean age 14, to parenting at offspring mean age 16, to offspring socioemotional functioning at mean age 22, and offspring romantic relationship quality at mean age 33. However, the influence of parents' romantic engagement on offsprings' adult romantic relationship quality does not appear to operate via a pathway of adolescent depression. Implications for prevention are discussed.
ISSN:0893-3200
1939-1293
DOI:10.1037/a0025606