Perceived parenting and ambivalence in parent-child relations in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

The concept of ambivalence describes dynamics of simultaneous attraction and repulsion in families. Especially transitions during the life span are likely to elicit ambivalence in intergenerational relations. Adolescence and emerging adulthood are phases of important transformations in parent-child relations entailing an array of developmental tasks, such as identity development and the dual process of individuation, which may give rise to ambivalences and tensions in family relations. Assuming different stages in the individuation process, parental control might be perceived differently by adolescents and emerging adults: while younger children may perceive parental control as kind of support and care, it may be experienced more as intrusion when autonomy demands of adolescents increase. The aims of the present study were to analyse a) the relation of perceived parenting and ambivalence towards parents with age, b) the interrelation of perceived parenting and feelings of ambivalence, as well as c) the moderating role developmental phase may have for the relation between perceived parenting and ambivalence. In the present study, a sample of N = 233 participants between the age of 14 and 25 (M = 19.00, SD = 2.69) living in Luxembourg were interviewed with regard to their relations towards their mothers and their fathers. The standardized questionnaire measured perceived parenting on three dimensions (maternal resp. paternal support, behavioural control and psychological control); further, ambivalence towards mothers and fathers was assessed with a newly developed questionnaire including contradictory emotional, motivational, and behavioural tendencies. Results showed that behavioural control was reduced with growing age; moreover, ambivalence was related positively to psychological control and behavioural control. Developmental phase moderated the relation between behavioural control and feelings of ambivalence towards mothers: This relation showed to be stronger for older participants. Results will be discussed with respect to intrafamilial processes underlying the regulation of ambivalence within the individuation process.