UC Merced

Adolescent disclosure to parents has been associated with a variety of positive adolescent outcomes. Studies utilizing primarily self-report have found both concurrent and prospective associations between disclosure with parental behaviors. However, self-report does not allow researchers to determine what parental behaviors directly inhibit or facilitate adolescent disclosure in real-time. Additionally, research on adolescent disclosure has focused primarily on European American middle-class families. Less is known about disclosure in underrepresented families. The goal of this dissertation is to examine a) the impact of parental emotion-related responses (ERRs) on observed adolescent disclosure, b) associations between parental ERRs, disclosure, and physical health and c) associations between disclosure, early cultural factors, and social behaviors within a diverse population. Study I explored the impact of mothers’ ERRs and adolescent perspective taking on subsequent disclosures during real-time discussions. Interest and validation predicted the shortest lag times compared with other maternal ERRs. Findings highlight the importance of parental communication of both validation and interest in promoting disclosure in the context of parent-adolescent conversations. Study II examined associations between disclosure, parental ERRs, and diabetes management. Higher levels of anger and of positive affect, relative to parental baseline levels, predicted longer lag times to subsequent disclosures, whereas higher levels of expressive suppression predicted shorter lag times. However, these patterns varied depending on HbA1c. Specifically, adolescents with lower HbA1c had shorter lag times to subsequent disclosures, and adolescents with higher HbA1c had longer lag times when parents responded with increased anger compared to those with lower HbA1c. Findings highlight that parental ERRs to disclosures have implications for adolescent physical health. Study III explored associations between observed disclosure to parents, early cultural factors, and adjustment in a sample of diverse families. Adolescents from Latinx families were found to engage in lower levels of disclosure compared to adolescents from African American families. In Latinx families, speaking English in the home was prospectively associated with higher levels of disclosure. Adolescents from Spanish-speaking Latinx families engaged in lower levels of disclosure compared to adolescents from African American and English-speaking Hispanic families. Findings highlight that disclosure may vary among ethnic groups due to unique challenges with communication. Collectively, these studies identify the impact of parent behavior on adolescent disclosure during real-time interactions. These studies also provide information about how observed adolescent disclosure relates to adolescent adjustment in a variety of contexts (i.e., diverse families and those with chronic illnesses). Findings from this dissertation will inform research on adolescent disclosure from underrepresented populations and guide interventions aimed at families who struggle with a lack of disclosure from adolescents.