Mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters: Temperament, gender, and adolescent-parent relationships

The role of temperament and gender in understanding adolescent-parent relationships is examined by exploring: (1) whether mothers' and fathers' temperaments influence the quality of their relationships with their sons and daughters; and (2) whether divergent relationships exist between adolescent temperament and adolescent-parent relationships for boys and girls. Adolescents (age 14 to 18; N = 82) and their parents completed instruments assessing their own temperaments and adolescents rated the quality of their relationships with each parent. Results support the link between parent temperament, particularly maternal temperament, and the quality of adolescent-parent relationships, possibly even overshadowing the role of adolescent temperament. Results also suggest divergent relationships between adolescent temperament and adolescent-parent relationships for boys and girls. Specifically, cross-gender patterns are identified.