Parent–Child Dyadic Synchrony, Prosocial and Aggressive Behavior with Peers, and Friendship Quality in Early Adolescence

The present study examined the contribution of mother–child and father–child synchrony to early adolescents’ prosocial and aggressive behavior with peers and friendship quality. Data were collected as part of a cross-sectional study from 185 early adolescents (M age = 12.48, SD = 1.03) and their parents. Separate father–adolescent and mother–adolescent interaction sessions were used to assess three dimensions of synchrony: (a) dyadic synchrony, (b) shared positive affect, and (c) conversational equality. Parents rated adolescents’ prosocial and aggressive behavior toward peers. Adolescents reported the quality of their relationships with their best friends. Regression analyses revealed that both mother–adolescent and father–adolescent shared positive affect were associated with higher parent-rated prosocial behavior, lower parent-rated peer aggression, and higher adolescent self-reported friendship intimacy. Likewise, mother–adolescent and father–adolescent conversational equality were each associated with higher parent-rated prosocial behavior. Only father–adolescent conversational equality was associated with adolescent-reported friendship intimacy. No measure of parent–adolescent dyadic synchrony was associated with adolescent-reported friendship conflict.