2009-11-08 03:58:24
SATURDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Teens are more likely to behave badly if
their parents expect them to, a new U.S. study has found.
"Parents who believe they are simply being realistic might actually contribute
to a self-fulfilling prophecy," Christy Buchanan, a psychology professor at
Wake Forest University and an author of the study, said in a university news
release. "Negative expectations on the part of both parents and children
predict more negative behaviors later on."
The finding came from a study of more than 250 sixth- and seventh-graders and
their mothers. They were surveyed at the start of the study and again one year
later.
Higher levels of risky behavior were seen in kids whose mothers expected them
to take more risks and be more rebellious, as well as among those who had
negative expectations of themselves. The results were published in the Journal
of Research on Adolescence.
"Sometimes parents expect more negative behavior from their own adolescents
than they should based on the adolescent's history of behavior," Buchanan said.
Parents shouldn't be naive about the possibility of bad behavior, she said, but
it's also a mistake to assume that previously well-behaved youngsters will
automatically become rebellious at age 13.
"By thinking risk-taking or rebelliousness is normal for teenagers and
conveying that to their children, parents might add to other messages from
society that make teenagers feel abnormal if they are not willing to take risks
or break laws," she said. "This can mean, for example, that when parents expect
teens to drink before they turn 21 or to engage in other risky behaviors, kids
are less likely to resist societal pressures to do so."
On the other hand, parental expectations that teens can exhibit positive
behaviors and resist pressures to take risks could help reduce the likelihood
of bad behavior, Buchanan said.