Relationships in Adolescence

Research has consistently shown that our close relationships, particularly with family and friends, are the foundation for our psychological health and well-being. Positive relationships help us feel secure and trusting and ready to interact with the world. Negative relationships (or perhaps a lack of close relationships) undermine our sense of self-worth and can lead us to feel insecure, vulnerable, and anxious. Ross Wilkinson and a group of students in the School of Psychology at the ANU have been conducting a program of research looking at how different kinds of close relationships impact on the well-being and adjustment of adolescents.

Adolescence is a period of developmental transition. As the young person matures socially and sexually their interpersonal relationship networks begin to change. Most teenagers become part of a group of friends (peer group) and start to develop close and sometimes intimate relationships with others. At the same time they start to seek greater autonomy and independence within their family. Using Attachment theory as a framework, our research has sought to answer a number of questions about the changes taking place in the adolescent's interpersonal world.

Do different kinds of relationships affect different aspects of psychological health?
Are the development of some kinds of relationships (eg. peers, boy/girlfriends) in adolescence at the expense of other kinds of relationships (eg. parents)?
Is there a relationship between the gender of an adolescent, the quality of their relationship with a same sex parent, and psychological health outcomes?
Are romantic and sexual relationships in adolescence related to psychological outcomes and the quality of relationships with parents and friends?