Identity, Perception of Parent-adolescent Relation and Adjustment in a Group of University Students

The parent-adolescent relations play an important role in developing identity process (Berzonsky, Branje, & Meeus, 2007; Meeus, Iedema, & Engels, 2005). This study investigates the role that identity plays in mediating relationships between parenting and social adjustment in a group of 112 college students. They completed: Ego Identity Process Questionnaire (Balistreri, Bush-Rossnagel, & Geisinger, 1995), Parental Bonding Instrument (Parker, Turpin, & Brown, 1979) and Relationship Questionnaire (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Results show associations between parental support and relational adjustment, between identity status and relational adjustment. Therefore, the identity commitment represents an important variable for emotional and social adjustment in adolescence.