1-178 - Focusing on Family Strengths: Understanding Positive Development in a Family Context

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Family is one of the most influential developmental contexts. However, studies of individual development in the family context overemphasized the negative outcomes at the expense of understanding how families promote positive well-being. To respond to call for knowledge on family strengths that lead to positive outcomes, this symposium includes four studies that focus on family promotive and protective factors that facilitate different aspects of individual positive development. Study 1 uses a daily diary design to identify profiles of multiple family relationships’ connectedness level and variation, and examines the associations between these profiles and adolescent flourishing and psychological well-being. It suggests family relationship dynamics have significant implications for adolescent flourishing. Study 2 examines adolescents’ gratitude expression at different ages and how their parents encourage it. It provides insights into ways for parents to support gratitude development during adolescence. Study 3 uses pre-post stress design to study the links between positive parental emotions and pre-adolescents’ emotion regulation. It highlights the important role that positive parental emotion plays in parent-child coregulation process when facing stresses. Study 4 explores how parents socialize individuals’ motives for hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in both pre-adolescent and adolescent samples. It has important applications concerning how well-being motives are taught and eudaimonic well-being can be promoted in the family context. In summary, the four studies provide insights into how family relationships and parents’ socialization promote various aspects of pre-adolescent and adolescent positive development. This symposium highlights the importance of understanding and promoting individuals’ positive development in the family context.

Sub Unit

• Family Context & Processes

Chair

• Mengya Xia, The Pennsylvania State University

Individual Presentations

• Profiles of Family Relationship Dynamics: Associations with Adolescent Flourishing - Presenting Author: Mengya Xia, The Pennsylvania State University; Non-Presenting Author: Greg Fosco, Pennsylvania State University

• Adolescents’ Expression of Gratitude and How their Parents Encourage it - Presenting Author: Sara Etz Mendonça, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Non-Presenting Author: Ebony D. Leon, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Non-Presenting Author: Jonathan Tudge, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Associations between Parental Positive Emotion and Pre-Adolescents' Trait-like and State-like Emotion Regulation - Presenting Author: Lucas M. Sohn, University of California, Irvine; Non-Presenting Author: Patricia A Smiley, Pomona Colege; Non-Presenting Author: Hannah F. Rasmussen, University of Southern California; Non-Presenting Author: Jessica Borelli, University of California, Irvine

• Parents Socialize Youth’s Motives for Eudaimonic Well-being but not Hedonic Well-being - Presenting Author: Amy Gentzler, West Virginia University; Non-Presenting Author: Tyia K. Wilson, West Virginia University; Non-Presenting Author: Katy L. DeLong, West Virginia University; Non-Presenting Author: Jeffrey Hughes, West Virginia University; Non-Presenting Author: Amy Root, West Virginia University