ABSTRACT
Parent–adolescent emotion socialization (ES) is theoretically a moment-to-moment (i.e., real-time), bidirectional process in which emotional moments are opportunities for directing youth’s longer-term socioemotional development. However, due to reliance on static and self-report measurement, we know little about this process during this age period. The objective of this study was to examine this process directly by assessing the real-time dynamic interplay of ES behaviors and affect during typical parent–adolescent interactions. These dynamics were measured within a 4-min conflict discussion between mothers and adolescents (12–13-year-olds, N = 164) using the Parent ES in Adolescence coding system to capture the full range of mothers’ supportive and unsupportive ES. Real-time adolescents’ and mothers’ expressed affective valence was also measured. Dynamic structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze how affect predicted ES and how ES predicted affect across 5-s increments, with dyadic relationship quality (DRQ) and adolescent gender as between-dyad predictors. Findings revealed that adolescent affect (A-Affect) positively predicted Supportive-ES but did not predict Unsupportive-ES. Supportive-ES was followed by a decrease in Adolescents’ and Mothers’ Affect, whereas Unsupportive-ES had the opposite effect. Gender did not predict differences in real-time effects, but higher DRQ was related to more flexible dyadic affect dynamics and greater increases in A-Affect following Unsupportive-ES. Findings are discussed as both the product of ES processes that had transpired prior to our time of measurement, as well as a potential predictor of future socioemotional development.