The Protective Effects of Relationships during COVID-19 for Adolescent Thriving

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: PS 14 Topic - Solicited Content: COVID-19 Related

Abstract

A number of surveys conducted on adolescents during COVID-19 show that disadvantaged young people are typically experiencing the most difficultly. While this information is important, this paper moves beyond demographics in three important ways: 1) it follows the same adolescents and their parents before and during the pandemic; 2) it is youth-informed—adolescents suggested key questions; and 3) it focuses on protective factors of relationships that may be most beneficial during the pandemic.

A nationally representative sample of 1,115 adolescents aged 9-19 years and their parents completed questions on adolescent development before (December 2019) and during the pandemic (August 2020). We will answer three questions that delineate the protective effects of relationships for adolescent thriving. We define thriving as lower negative experienced feelings, perceived stress, and parental conflict, as well as higher positive experienced feelings, school engagement, and likelihood of adaptive future outcomes. We predict that more positive parental conceptions of adolescence, higher levels of adolescent-specific parenting skills, and higher developmental need fulfillment will protect adolescents from thriving-related declines during the pandemic.

To evaluate this hypothesis, we will analyze parents’ responses to critical life changes during the past 6 months, including financial, housing, mental/physical health, and family compositional changes, to investigate which disruptions are most frequent, which result from the pandemic, and which may be more detrimental for adolescent thriving. Next, we will explore three potential protective factors specific to relationships. The first factor is parents’ conceptions of adolescence. We will report on whether negative conceptions of the teen/ adolescent brain before the pandemic predict adolescents’ thriving. This question was suggested by youth. The second potential protective factor is adolescent-specific parenting skills, again suggested by youth, defined as 1) listening more than you talk; 2) listening with your “when-I-was-a-child” mind—versus your “now-I'm-an-adult” mind; and 3) practicing a family problem-solving process that includes the adolescent. The third factor is perceived developmental need fulfillment, or the extent to which adolescents believe their needs are being met within essential developmental contexts. Before the pandemic, we assessed adolescents’ perceptions of belonging, support, challenge, competence, autonomy, respect, identity, and contribution. Crucially, we asked adolescents to report how each need was met across 5 important relational contexts: family, peers, school, out of school activities, and online. We will investigate how adolescents’ perceptions of need fulfillment predict changes in thriving.

Time 2 data were delivered to our team on 9/24/20 and are being analyzed and interpreted. Linear mixed effect models controlling for demographics will be used to assess hypotheses. Initially, we found that 16% of parents reported the death of a relative or friend and approximately 10% reported financial concerns for housing and food provision. Adolescents reported a notable decline in school engagement.
This research has not been proposed to or presented at another conference. Overall, we believe study findings will inform our understanding of how the pandemic has affected adolescent thriving, enabling us to move beyond demographics to factors that can potentially be supported through intervention and ameliorate continued pandemic-related disruption.

Authors

• Ellen Galinsky, Bezos Family Foundation
  Presenting Author

• Brandon Almy, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
  Non-Presenting Author

• Philip David Zelazo, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
  Non-Presenting Author