Longitudinal links between perceptions of adolescence and the social beliefs of adolescents: Are parents' stereotypes related to beliefs held about and by their children?

Abstract

This study examined: (1) relations between parents' prior stereotypes about adolescence and their later beliefs about their own child during early and middle adolescence, (2) relations between parents' stereotypes and their own child's behaviors during middle and late adolescence, and (3) the role of congruency between mother's and father's beliefs about adolescence in predicting their child's behavior. The results revealed significant relations between parents' prior stereotyped beliefs and their specific beliefs about their own children during the 7th and 10th grades. In addition, the relations between parents' prior stereotypes and their adolescent children's behaviors measured at 3 and 5 years later (10th and 12th grades) were estimated. Parents' stereotypes about adolescence significantly predicted their children's behaviors in both 10th and 12th grades. Finally, the congruency between mothers' and fathers' stereotyped beliefs was significantly related to their children's behaviors in the 10th and 12th grades. Parents who had consistent and strong stereotypes about adolescence had adolescent children with more deviant peers than parents with consistent, but less-stereotyped views. © 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.