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From Friction to Flow: Dyadic Affective Flexibility during and after Conflicts Predicts Trajectories of Mother-Adolescent Relationships

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Title: From Friction to Flow: Dyadic Affective Flexibility during and after Conflicts Predicts Trajectories of Mother-Adolescent Relationships
Language: English
Authors: Xiaomei Li (ORCID 0000-0003-2457-7704), Jessica P. Loughe, Tom Hollenstein
Source: Developmental Psychology. 2026 62(5):915-931.
Availability: American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Mothers, Adolescents, Parent Child Relationship, Conflict, Emotional Response, COVID-19, Pandemics, Foreign Countries, Resilience (Psychology)
Geographic Terms: Canada
DOI: 10.1037/dev0001939
ISSN: 0012-1649
1939-0599
Abstract: Real-time affective dynamics surrounding everyday conflicts are central to the quality of relationships between mothers and their socioemotionally maturing adolescents. In this longitudinal study, we examined whether dyadic affective flexibility in early adolescence predicted trajectories of mother-adolescent relationship closeness and conflicts over time. We focused on flexibility not only in dyads' emotional fluctuations "during" conflict interactions (i.e., "dynamic" flexibility) but also in the repair of their affective patterns "after" conflict interactions (i.e., "reactive" flexibility). At Wave 1, 201 adolescents (11-12 years old, 46.3% girls) and mothers (87.5% Caucasian) completed two consecutive discussions about everyday conflicts and happy memories, respectively. Dynamic flexibility was derived from second-by-second affect coding via state space grids, and reactive flexibility was assessed as the latent change in dynamic flexibility across discussions. Annually for 5 years, including periods during the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., Waves 3-5), mothers reported feelings of closeness with the adolescents, and both dyad members identified and rated the intensity of conflicts with each other. Results revealed that greater dynamic and reactive flexibility predicted greater and increasing closeness particularly from early to mid-adolescence. Greater dynamic and reactive flexibility were also associated with less intense and less diverse conflicts overall but not developmental changes in conflicts. These findings have implications beyond the immediate dyadic interactions around conflicts, suggesting that real-time flexibility within the mother-adolescent emotional system may serve as a resilience factor that buffers against the strains of relationship adjustment during adolescence at a longer timescale.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1503647
Database: ERIC
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  Data: From Friction to Flow: Dyadic Affective Flexibility during and after Conflicts Predicts Trajectories of Mother-Adolescent Relationships
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Xiaomei+Li%22">Xiaomei Li</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2457-7704">0000-0003-2457-7704</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jessica+P%2E+Loughe%22">Jessica P. Loughe</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tom+Hollenstein%22">Tom Hollenstein</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Developmental+Psychology%22"><i>Developmental Psychology</i></searchLink>. 2026 62(5):915-931.
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  Data: American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
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  Data: 17
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mothers%22">Mothers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adolescents%22">Adolescents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Child+Relationship%22">Parent Child Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Conflict%22">Conflict</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotional+Response%22">Emotional Response</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19%22">COVID-19</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pandemics%22">Pandemics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Resilience+%28Psychology%29%22">Resilience (Psychology)</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1037/dev0001939
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  Data: Real-time affective dynamics surrounding everyday conflicts are central to the quality of relationships between mothers and their socioemotionally maturing adolescents. In this longitudinal study, we examined whether dyadic affective flexibility in early adolescence predicted trajectories of mother-adolescent relationship closeness and conflicts over time. We focused on flexibility not only in dyads' emotional fluctuations "during" conflict interactions (i.e., "dynamic" flexibility) but also in the repair of their affective patterns "after" conflict interactions (i.e., "reactive" flexibility). At Wave 1, 201 adolescents (11-12 years old, 46.3% girls) and mothers (87.5% Caucasian) completed two consecutive discussions about everyday conflicts and happy memories, respectively. Dynamic flexibility was derived from second-by-second affect coding via state space grids, and reactive flexibility was assessed as the latent change in dynamic flexibility across discussions. Annually for 5 years, including periods during the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., Waves 3-5), mothers reported feelings of closeness with the adolescents, and both dyad members identified and rated the intensity of conflicts with each other. Results revealed that greater dynamic and reactive flexibility predicted greater and increasing closeness particularly from early to mid-adolescence. Greater dynamic and reactive flexibility were also associated with less intense and less diverse conflicts overall but not developmental changes in conflicts. These findings have implications beyond the immediate dyadic interactions around conflicts, suggesting that real-time flexibility within the mother-adolescent emotional system may serve as a resilience factor that buffers against the strains of relationship adjustment during adolescence at a longer timescale.
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 17
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      – SubjectFull: Mothers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Adolescents
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      – SubjectFull: Parent Child Relationship
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      – SubjectFull: Emotional Response
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      – SubjectFull: Pandemics
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Resilience (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Canada
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