Autonomía emocional durante la adolescencia

Resumen

El objetivo de esta investigación fue estudiar la reláción entre la autonomía emocional respecto a los padres y el tipo de relaciones establecidas entre padres e hijos durante la adolescencia. También pretendíamos analizar las características socio-emocionalesde aquellos chicos y chicas que manifiestan una alta autonomía emocional, así como el papel moderador jugado por el género y la calidad del contexto familiar sobre las relaciones entre la desvinculación afectiva y el desarrollo adolescente. Una muestra de 221 chicos y 292 chicas de edades comprendidas entre los 13 y los 19 años cumplimentaron un cuestionario que inclusía medidas sobre las relaciones familiares, las relaciones con los iguales y varios aspectos del desarrollo socioemocional. Los resultados obtenidos indican que no se aprecia un aumento significativo de la autonomía emocional a lo largo de la adolescencia. Además, aquellos adolescentes con unos niveles más altos de autonomía emocional muestran un contexto familiar más conflictivo, peores relaciones con sus compañeros y una menor autoestima y satisfacción vital. Estas relaciones, que son especialmente acusadas en el caso de las chicas, indican que la autonomía emocional de estos adolescentes, lejos de indicar unos mayores niveles de desarrollo, puede estar reflejando un vínculo o apego de tipo inseguro con sus padres.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between teenage emotional autonomy and the types of contact that exist between parents and children, as well as to analyse the socio-emotional characteristics of those youths who manifest a high degree of emotional autonomy. Another objective was to study the moderating role of gender and the quality of family environment in the links between emotional autonomy and adolescent development. A sample of 513 adolescents (221 boys and 292 girls), aged between 13 and 19 years completed a questionnaire which included measures on family relationships, peer-group relations, and various aspects of personal development. Results show little change in emotional autonomy as adolescence progresses. Another important point is that boys and girls with the greatest emotional autonomy have the most difficult and conflictive family environment, the most difficult relationships with peers, and the lowest level of self-esteem and life satisfaction. The consequences of emotional disengagement are more negative for females. Our results point out that emotional autonomy is not related to a better socio-emotional adjustment, on the contrary, adolescents with high emotional autonomy seem to have forged a deeply insecure attachment with their parents.

Extended Summary

Since 1986, when Steinberg and Silverberg coined the term emotional autonomy to describe the affective disengagement of the adolescent from his or her parents, and established a scale to measure it, a considerable number of studies have appeared on the subject, generating an important controversy around the significance that should be ascribed to such emotional autonomy. At the present time, as Silverberg and Gondoli (1996) have pointed out, the debate about the adaptive value of emotional autonomy during adolescence has entered a second phase, which considers that this value will vary according to the quality of family relationships. But culture and gender are other variables that must be taken into account: it is possible that this effect may be found to vary between different countries and cultures, and between boys and girls. In this study our aim was 1) to examine the relationships between teenage emotional autonomy and the types of contact that exist between parents and children, and 2) to analyse the socio-emotional characteristics of those young men and women who manifest a high degree of emotional autonomy. Another objective was to study the mediating role of gender and the quality of family environment in the relations between emotional autonomy and adolescent development. A sample of 513 adolescents (221 boys and 292 girls) aged between 13 and 19 years (average age 15.43, s.d. 1.19) completed a questionnaire measuring family relationships, peer-group relations, and various aspects of personal development.

The first information emerging from this research that calls for comment is the lack of meaningful change in emotional autonomy as adolescence progresses. Regarding the association between emotional autonomy and the different variables evaluating parent-child relations, this was found to be highly significant in all cases. This is interpreted as a clear indication that such disengagement probably reflects lack of family support and caring. Indeed, it is precisely the girls and boys with greatest emotional autonomy who report 1) the least amount of affection and control from their parents, 2) a family context lacking unity and flexibility, and 3) poor and conflictive communication with their parents. The fact that this affective disengagement should be most widespread among young people whose current poor family relationships are compounded with bad childhood memories, leads us to think that these are adolescents who have deeply insecure attachments with their parents.

This notion is strengthened by the fact that, according to our research, teenagers with high emotional autonomy and negative attitudes toward their family also establish insecure and uncommunicative peer-group relationships. This may well be a consequence of the fragility of attachment models constructed during childhood. It is also worth noting the close relationship found between: high emotional autonomy, low self-esteem, and satisfaction with life. Highlighting that young women and men who are most disaffected from their parents find themselves in a tougher emotional position. Another important finding is that emotional disaffection has more negative consequences for females than for males, something that can probably be attributed to the gender stereotyping that prevails in spanish society. Thus, emotional autonomy from parents is far less desirable for teenage women, who are expected to display more loving care and be more family-centred than their male siblings. When a girl displays too much autonomy, she is likely to find herself in overt conflict with her parents' expectations, fuelling family tensions and arguments with negative repercussions to her level of life satisfaction.

Regarding the potentially moderating effect of the family context, our results indicate that strong emotional autonomy is not associated to better psychological adjustment in any circumstances—either with good or bad family relations. on the contrary, this disengagement is apt to foster a definite maladjustment. In the case of girls, adolescents with the highest emotional autonomy tended to have the worst results, independently of the family background. The only mitigating factor—which is more common among such girls—is the close intimacy established with a best friend. Where boys are concerned, we have observed that in a favourable family context, the more autonomous teens exhibit greater socio-emotional difficulties than their lower-scoring companions do. But in a negative family context, varying degrees of disaffection seem to make little difference, changing nothing about these adolescents' already difficult socio-emotional predicament.

Palabras clave:

• Autonomía emocional
• adolescencia
• relaciones padres-hijos
• individuación
• diferencias de género

Keywords:

• Emotional autonomy
• adolescence
• parents-child relationships
• individuation
• gender differences