Three measures of closeness in adolescents’ relationships with parents and friends: Variations and developmental significance

Abstract Two studies examined the nature and developmental significance of closeness in adolescents’ relationships with parents and friends. Three measures of relationship closeness (i.e., interdependence, emotional tone, and subjective opinion) were compared and contrasted. In Study 1, grade and gender differences in closeness in relationships with mothers, fathers, and friends were examined. Participants were 133 adolescents in Grades 7, 9, and 11 and 135 of their parents. Closeness in relationships with mothers, fathers, and friends varied based on closeness measure, grade of adolescent, gender of adolescent, and gender of parent. The results suggest that the interdependence measure offers a perspective on adolescents’ close relationships that differs from that provided by the emotional tone and subjective opinion measures. In Study 2, associations were examined between the three measures of closeness in adolescents’ relationships with mothers, fathers, and friends and adolescents’ problem behavior, substance use, and school performance. Participants included 107 adolescents in Grades 7 and 10. In combination, the measures of closeness in relationships with mothers and with fathers explained significant variability in the criterion variables, and reports of interdependence and emotional tone emerged as unique, significant predictors. The results highlight distinctions among the three conceptualizations that are commonly purported to assess a close relationship and point to the utility and validity of interdependence and emotional tone as measures of closeness in adolescents’ relationships.