Parent-Adolescent Communication and Adolescent Delinquency: Unraveling Within-Family Processes from Between-Family Differences

Editorial reading guide · Trust

Does a change in how one family communicates tell the same story as a comparison between families?

The study separates within-family change from between-family differences, an important distinction when interpreting teen disclosure.

Who was studied?

Adolescents and families studied for disclosure, parental requests for information and delinquency

Age / stage: Adolescence

Read with three questions

1. Does a change in how one family communicates tell the same story as a comparison between families?
2. What was measured at each observation, and what other influences might account for the link?
3. Which features of the study population (adolescents and families studied for disclosure, parental requests for information and delinquency) would matter when applying the findings in another setting?

Keep the limits in view

Three annual assessments can distinguish between-family differences from some within-family changes. Short-lived conversations and shifts between yearly surveys may be missed.