The initiation, development, and maintenance of supportive youth-adult relationships

• In Event: 3-086 - You + Me = Us: Developmental processes in supportive youth-adult relationships

Integrative Statement

The majority of adolescents report having an important, non-parental adult in their lives (Beam, Chen & Greenberger, 2002). These relationships are associated with a host of positive outcomes (DuBois & Silverthorn, 2005; Chang et al., 2010). Despite the demonstrated importance of youth-adult relationships (YARs), there is little work exploring how these relationships develop. This study addresses this gap by asking: 1) What are the characteristics of YARs that develop into significant relationships in the eyes of youth? 2) What kinds of developmental trajectories characterize significant YARs?
This study is part of a larger study of YARs with youth ages 12-18 (n=41). At the start of the study, half of the sample was in middle school and half was in high school. The sample was evenly divided by gender and represented a diversity of racial/ethnic backgrounds, relational styles, and reports of significant adults in their lives. Youth were interviewed five times over three years. Interviews were semi-structured and in each interview, youth were provided with a definition of a significant adult (VIP), asked if they had someone like that in their lives, and if so, were asked a series of questions about that relationship.
We compiled relational profiles of each youth-VIP relationship in the database (n=92), including all data in which youth described their relationship with the VIP. Data were organized into four categories: initiation, maintenance, ending, and impact of relationship. The authors read each profile for emergent themes related to the initiation and development of relationships. We compared our themes, came to consensus, and discussed themes with the larger research team to confirm validity. The authors read through each relational profile again, focusing on identifying the themes within each profile as well as patterns of barriers to relational development within the narratives.
We identified four major domains related to YARs’ development: 1) the importance of physical and psychological time and space; 2) contexts of the relationships and the roles VIPs played in youths’ lives; 3) the importance of trust, and; 4) the relationship as a safe and authentic space for youth to express themselves. The intentional use of time and space to build relationships appeared important. For example, a track coach used long runs to engage the youth in discussion about various topics, turning a shared activity into a context for the development of a broader, supportive relationship. Some relationships had catalysts, significant shared activities (e.g., mission trips) or events (e.g., parental divorce) that impacted the youth’s need for additional support, that sparked a deepening of the relationship. Others developed gradually over time. Conversely, we identified a number of barriers to relational development: 1) lack of time and space; 2) VIPs having their own families; 3) demographic differences between VIP and youth, and; 4) constraints on the topics of conversation due to the context of the relationship. The results of this study illuminate how youth understand the development of their significant YARs. We will discuss the implications for how researchers and practitioners can utilize the results to better support YARs.

Authors

• Victoria Mauer, University of Virginia
  Presenting Author

• Nancy L Deutsch, University of Virginia - Youth-Nex: The UVA Center to Promote Effective Youth Development
  Non-Presenting Author