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Biomedical subjects

P Noller

Publications and source records attributed to P Noller.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Adolescents' interactions with the opposite sex: influence of attachment style and gender.

The present research assessed attachment style and gender differences in adolescents' relationships with the opposite sex, using questionnaire and diary methodologies. In Study 1, 193 unmarried undergraduate subjects completed questionnaire measures of attachment style, relationship history and attitudes to sex. Relationship history data supported previous findings: avoidant subjects reported fewer and less intense love experiences; anxious/ambivalent subjects reported frequent but less enduring love relationships; secure subjects reported more loving and satisfying relationships. As hypothesized, avoidant subjects were more accepting of casual (uncommitted) sex than other attachment groups. In Study 2, 85 subjects from the previous study used a diary format to record their interactions with members of the opposite sex, classifying each interaction according to intimacy level and partner type. Avoidant subjects engaged in fewer interactions overall, fewer chats, and interacted with a smaller number of friends. Anxious/ambivalent subjects engaged in fewer interactions with strangers than did secure subjects. Female avoidants and male anxious/ambivalents were the least likely to report engaging in sexual intercourse during the course of the study, suggesting that attachment style and gender role expectations jointly influence relationship development.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Parent and adolescent perceptions of family functioning: a comparison of clinic and non-clinic families.

In this paper two studies are reported which compare (a) the perceptions of family functioning held by clinic and non-clinic adolescents, and (b) the perceptions of family functioning held by adolescents and their mothers in clinic and non-clinic families. In Study 1, matched group of clinic and non-clinic adolescents were compared on their responses to a 30-item scale (ICPS) designed to measure three factors of family functioning: Intimacy (high vs. low), Parenting Style (democratic vs. controlled) and Conflict (high vs. low). Clinic and non-clinic adolescents were also compared on their responses to a multi-dimensional measure of adolescent self-concept. Although there was little difference between the two groups of adolescents in terms of their perceptions of family functioning, there were strong relationships between the self-concept variables and the family functioning variables. In Study 2, comparisons were made between the perceptions of family functioning held by mothers and adolescents for both clinical and non-clinic families. There were no differences between the two groups of adolescents in terms of their perceptions of family functioning, although there were clear differences between the two groups of mothers. In addition, clinic adolescents and their mothers did not differ in their perceptions of the family, whereas adolescents in the non-clinic group saw their families significantly as less intimate and more conflicted than did their mothers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

The family and the unemployed adolescent.

The present study explores the relationship between adolescent unemployment and family functioning. Adolescents and their parents completed the Family Adaptability and Evaluation Scales (FACES III) initially when the adolescents were in the final year of compulsory schooling, and then again at yearly intervals for 2 years. During this time the adolescents had either returned to school, or become employed or unemployed. Differences in perceptions according to employment group of the adolescent were found for both adolescents and their parents, highlighting the effect of an unemployed adolescent on adolescent and parent perceptions of family functioning. Unemployed adolescents and their parents saw the family as less cohesive at all three times of the study. Parents of employed and unemployed adolescents wanted more cohesion, as did unemployed males and females, and employed males. Greater dissatisfaction about family cohesion was expressed by unemployed adolescents and their parents than by the other groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Adolescent and parent perceptions of family cohesion and adaptability.

This study examined across 281 families of different aged adolescents the similarity of parent-adolescent perceptions of levels of adaptability and cohesion in families. Compared to parents, adolescents of almost all age groups (13-17 years) were less satisfied with levels of adaptability in families and so the ability of the family to change its roles and rules in relation to stress. Adolescents judged the present state of the family as more inflexible to changes in its structure than did parents. Asked about ideal levels of adaptability, fathers with 14 and 16 year old adolescents of both sexes, and fathers with 17 year old sons were least flexible about changes to the power and role structure of families. Scores on cohesion or the emotional bonding in families indicated that across family types parents judged the family as more cohesive than did adolescents. Adolescents, however, still showed fairly high levels of cohesion, although below their parents. Adolescents desire changes to power and roles in the family system, but still want a relatively cohesive and supportive family environment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1985

Parent-adolescent communication.

This project involved the development of a questionnaire for measuring parent-adolescent communication on both process and content dimensions. The six process dimensions, chosen on the basis of available literature, were: frequency, initiation, recognition, self-disclosure, domination and satisfaction. Six-point scales with clearly defined scale points were designed for each dimension. Fourteen content areas were also chosen and these were selected to include areas representative of two dimensions: general principles vs. specific issues, and external social reference vs. intrafamily references. First-year university students rated their interactions with their mothers, fathers and both parents together on each of the six process dimensions for each of the fourteen content areas. Parents were asked to rate the same items in the way they thought their adolescent son or daughter would rate them. Results were analysed separately for each process dimension using discriminant analysis, with sex of parent and sex of adolescent as independent variables. Overall, adolescents of both sexes tended to communicate more with mothers than with fathers over a wide range of areas. In fact, politics was the only area on which subjects talked more with fathers than mothers. Also, more self-disclosure occurred to mothers than to fathers, with daughters disclosing more to mothers than did sons. Mothers were also more accurate than fathers at predicting adolescents' responses. The usefulness of the questionnaire for exploring this important area of parent-adolescent communication will be discussed.

Adolescent↗