About this Research Topic
Recent advances in developmental psychology suggest that individuals in the family are connected at psychological, behavioral, physiological, and neural levels. Such similarities at multiple levels may prepare developing children to adapt to an increasingly complex environment. For example, a growing number of studies have highlighted the importance of parent-child dyadic concordance or synchrony in fostering children and adolescents’ psychological well-being. Given that researchers are investigating similarities and discrepancies across family members at different levels (e.g., in beliefs, behavior, biology, and brain) and with different approaches (e.g., observation, survey, psychophysiology, and neuroimaging), it is important to identify convergent evidence from this line of research. Understanding the existing patterns in this research could provide the theoretical foundation to understand interpersonal family processes, guide directions for future research, and inform strategies for family interventions and therapy.
The goal of this Research Topic is therefore to bring together evidence on similarities and discrepancies in the family context (e.g., dynamics of parent-child dyads, siblings, spouses) at psychological, behavioral, and neurobiological levels. To this end, we welcome manuscripts using a variety of methods (e.g., surveys, lab-experiments, observation, biological assessment, and neuroimaging) to examine family (dis)similarities and how it confers a developmental benefit or risk to children and adolescents. We are particularly interested in manuscripts that aim to address the following:
• To examine developmental changes in (dis)similarities across family members;
• To identify predictors (e.g., cultural, family, peer, and school factors) in shaping homogeneity and heterogeneity across family members;
• To investigate consequences of such family (dis)similarity on children and adolescents’ psychological and behavioral adjustment;
• To introduce novel quantitative methodology of studying family (dis)similarity.
This Research Topic will act as a platform for integrating diverse approaches in this field of research, with the aim of providing a comprehensive understanding of interpersonal similarity across individuals in the family context. Different types of articles will be considered for publication, including Original Research, Perspective, and Mini Review.
The goal of this Research Topic is therefore to bring together evidence on similarities and discrepancies in the family context (e.g., dynamics of parent-child dyads, siblings, spouses) at psychological, behavioral, and neurobiological levels. To this end, we welcome manuscripts using a variety of methods (e.g., surveys, lab-experiments, observation, biological assessment, and neuroimaging) to examine family (dis)similarities and how it confers a developmental benefit or risk to children and adolescents. We are particularly interested in manuscripts that aim to address the following:
• To examine developmental changes in (dis)similarities across family members;
• To identify predictors (e.g., cultural, family, peer, and school factors) in shaping homogeneity and heterogeneity across family members;
• To investigate consequences of such family (dis)similarity on children and adolescents’ psychological and behavioral adjustment;
• To introduce novel quantitative methodology of studying family (dis)similarity.
This Research Topic will act as a platform for integrating diverse approaches in this field of research, with the aim of providing a comprehensive understanding of interpersonal similarity across individuals in the family context. Different types of articles will be considered for publication, including Original Research, Perspective, and Mini Review.
Keywords: family similarity, interpersonal synchrony, parent-child dyads, sibling dyads, couples
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.
