Communication and Connection in Parent–Adolescent Relationships: Links With Socioemotional Adjustment and Developmental Outcomes

Parent–child relationships continue to play a central role in shaping developmental outcomes well beyond childhood. During adolescence and emerging adulthood, communication patterns and interactions with parents influence social, emotional, and cognitive functioning, contributing to trajectories of adjustment, resilience, and well-being.

This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of the mechanisms through which the quality and nature of parent–child communication and interactions influence developmental outcomes from early adolescence through emerging adulthood (ages 11-25). We invite submissions that explore how parent–child exchanges evolve during this period of increasing independence and mutual adaptation, and how these interactions contribute to both short- and long-term developmental outcomes.

We welcome original research articles, review articles, systematic reviews, brief research reports, perspectives, theoretical papers, and methods articles that address the complexity of parent–child communication and interactions in diverse cultural, community, social, and family contexts. We especially encourage research that includes diverse samples, cultural approaches, innovative methods, and interdisciplinary work.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• How patterns of parental warmth, guidance, autonomy support, disclosure and conflict predict adolescents’ and young adults’ emotion regulation, identity formation, and prosocial behavior
• Bidirectional influences between parents and youth within and across different sociocultural contexts or settings
• Interventions or preventive approaches designed to enhance parent–adolescent communication and relationship quality to promote healthy adjustment
• The role of digital communication, social media, and online environments in shaping contemporary parent–youth interactions and communication
• Mechanisms of resilience and adaptation in the face of adversity, including family disruption, chronic stress, or societal challenges

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Parent–adolescent communication, parent–child relationships, socioemotional development, disclosure, responsiveness, sensitivity

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.