| The purpose of this study was to explore the contributions that nonparental relationships make to adolescent adaptation, and, more particularly, to investigate the direct and moderating effects of nonparental adult (NPA) relationships on the association between risk and adolescent adaptive functioning. Data for this study were collected as part of a larger, ongoing study, the Family Pathways Project (Lyons-Ruth, Connell, Grunebaum, & Botein, 1990), from two groups of participants. One group (N = 57) was recruited as infants 21 years ago, and the second group (N = 66) was recruited from 2000-2003 as status-matched community controls. For this study, only data collected when the participants were adolescents (mean age = 20) were used, regardless of when they were recruited. The study incorporated coded data on NPA relationships from the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1996) and the Adolescent to Adult Personality Functioning Assessment (Naughton, Oppenheim, & Hill, 1996). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-Clinician Version (Spitzer, Williams, Gibbon, & First, 1992), the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders (First, Spitzer, Gibbon, & Williams, 1995), the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (Radloff, 1977), and the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (Armstrong, Putnam, Carlson, Libero, & Smith, 1997) measured adolescent adaptation. The Demographic and Family Changes Interview (Lyons-Ruth & Botein, 1984) retrospectively measured demographic risk when the child was between the ages of 0-4 and was administered only to mothers. Hypotheses were tested with sequential multiple regression. Higher childhood risk factors were associated with poorer adolescent functioning. After controlling for demographic risk factors, adolescent adaptation was associated with positive quality relationships with NPAs in general and, more specifically, with relationships that began in middle childhood. In addition, adolescent adaptation was associated with positive quality relationships with peers and romantic partners. Nonparental relationships did not influence the association between risk factors and adolescent adaptation, however. Implications include a need for additional focus on the middle childhood years for strengthening relationships with NPAs, and a greater understanding for the positive impact that peer and romantic partner relationships have on adolescent adaptation. |
