A study has shown teens who display a very important quality during adolescent friendships, go on to be great parents - and it's fascinating.
Teenagers often have a bad reputation, with parents reporting struggling to get through to them, while they confuse everyone with their teenage slang words. Alternatively, there are teen myths that are not true, and they aren't all lazy and rude, as a new report suggests.
A study of 184 teens showed how their adolescent friendships prepare them for parenting. The group were followed for over 30 years, starting from the age of 13. Each year, group members selected their closest friend to take part in the study with them. Attending a lab in their chosen pairs, the friend asked for advice on a problem, and responses were scored in relation to four core aspects of empathy: Emotional support, instrumental support, emotional engagement, and interpretation of their friend's problem.
When members of the group began having children, they were asked different questions relating to their parenting style. This came in the form of 12 hypothetical situations where their child expressed a negative emotion, and they relayed how they'd respond - their responses were labelled supportive or non-supportive. The results showed one important correlation - those who had been more empathetic teens, made more supportive parents.
"The results showed one important correlation - those who had been more empathetic teens, made more supportive parents."
The study also delved into how much empathy participants received from their own parents. Unsurprisingly, those with emotionally supportive parents appeared naturally more empathetic towards their friends, continuing to emulate their upbringings into adulthood.
Although the teens with unsupportive parents sometimes became harsh parents, this wasn't always the case. Some were able to break cycles of poor empathy, and despite difficult upbringings, were still able to demonstrate keen empathy in their adolescent friendships despite this not being inherently nurtured.
Speaking to Psychology Today and commenting on the study, Dr. Jessica A. Stern concludes "Adults often underestimate the importance of teens being able to spend time with their friends. But experiences in close, supportive friendships as a teenager are actually really important for healthy development. Our findings suggest that adolescent friendships may be an underappreciated but essential context for developing critical social skills like empathy, responding appropriately to difficult emotions, and even - later - parenting."
For more on teens, if you have one who won't revise, try some expert-backed tips. Concerned about a teen who won't socialise? A child development expert shares their thoughts. Reflective parenting could help your teen with their big emotions - here's what you need to know.
