Examining autonomy support, relatedness, and decision making during adolescence in a diverse U.S. sample

Abstract

The current study explored associations between and patterns of autonomy, relatedness, and adolescent decision making in a diverse sample of families within the United States. Data were from the Pathways Project (Proyecto Caminos), a large-scale study of adolescent development. Dyadic cross-sectional data from the first time point of the study were used, which included 232 parents and one of their children aged 13-18 years (58% female). Parents and adolescents completed mirrored measures of their perception of parent autonomy support (e.g., consider things from child’s point of view) and attitudes on family relatedness/interdependence (e.g., consult with parent(s) before making important decisions). Youth reported on decision making as a measure of behavioral autonomy (a spectrum from decisions being made completely by the child’s parent to a child making decisions completely on his/her own). Results from variable-centered analyses (hierarchical regression) revealed that child age and youth report of parental autonomy support were associated with higher levels of youth-led decision making, and youth report of family relatedness was associated with lower levels of youth-led decision making. Results from exploratory person-centered analyses (hierarchical clustering) identified three profiles that varied on parent and/or child reports of parental autonomy support and relatedness. K-means clustering was used to verify these results and found sufficient overlap (82%) between the two methods to confirm the hierarchical cluster results. The profiles identified appear to reflect profiles of autonomy-relatedness proposed by theorists (e.g., Kağıtçıbaşı, 2005). Based on child reports, Cluster 1 had high levels of both autonomy support and relatedness, Cluster 2 had low autonomy support and moderate relatedness, and Cluster 3 had moderate autonomy support and low relatedness; in addition, Clusters 1 and 3 both reported higher levels of youth decision making than Cluster 2. Taken together, findings contribute to the understanding of the associations and patterns of autonomy support and relatedness within a diverse U.S. sample, as well as how different methodologies can be utilized to explore these issues. Implications for further research are discussed.