Autonomy and Relatedness in Mother-Adolescent Relationship and Parenting Stress

The purpose of the study was to investigate the associations between the displays of autonomy and relatedness in mother-adolescent interaction and parenting stress. Particularly, the study was aimed at: a) exploring the applicability on an Italian sample of the observational procedure developed by Allen to assess displays of individuality and connectedness in the adolescents’ relationship with parents; b) the associations between autonomy and relatedness in mother-adolescent relationship and parenting stress. Twenty mother-adolescent dyads participated at this study. Observational ratings of autonomy and relatedness in mother-adolescent interaction were obtained, along with adolescents’ reports of the quality of their relationship and mothers’ reports of parenting stress. Reliability coefficients showed an acceptable agreement between coders in the scores attribution. Autonomy and relatedness in mother-adolescent interaction tended to be related to adolescent report of the quality of their relationship. Mother to adolescent: promoting autonomy behaviours were positively related to adolescent report of warmth and autonomy respect. Adolescent to mother: autonomy behaviours were positively related to open confrontation and rejection; promoting relatedness behaviours were negatively related to rejection and coolness; inhibiting relatedness behaviours were negatively related to warmth and positively related to open confrontation. Autonomy and relatedness in mother-adolescent interaction tended to be related to parenting stress. Mother to adolescent: promoting autonomy behaviors were negatively associated to perceptions of the child as difficult. Adolescent to mother: promoting relatedness behaviors were negatively associated to perception of the interactions as dysfunctional and of the child as difficult; inhibiting relatedness behaviors were associated to reports of personal stress.