Browsing by Author "Xia, Mengya"
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Item Academic performance under COVID-19: The role of online learning readiness and emotional competence(Springer, 2022) Wang, Yurou; Xia, Mengya; Guo, Wenjing; Xu, Fangjie; Zhao, Yadan; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Beijing Normal UniversityThe COVID-19 pandemic caused school closures and social isolation, which created both learning and emotional challenges for adolescents. Schools worked hard to move classes online, but less attention was paid to whether students were cognitively and emotionally ready to learn effectively in a virtual environment. This study focused on online learning readiness and emotional competence as key constructs to investigate their implications for students' academic performance during the COVID-19 period. Two groups of students participated in this study, with 1,316 high school students (Mean age = 16.32, SD = 0.63) representing adolescents and 668 college students (Mean age = 20.20, SD = 1.43) representing young adults. Structural equation modeling was conducted to explore the associations among online learning readiness, emotional competence, and online academic performance during COVID-19 after controlling for pre-COVID-19 academic performance. The results showed that, for high school students, both online learning readiness and emotional competence were positively associated with online academic performance during COVID-19. However, for college students, only online learning readiness showed a significant positive relationship with online academic performance during COVID-19. These results demonstrated that being ready to study online and having high emotional competence could make adolescents more resilient toward COVID-19-related challenges and help them learn more effectively online. This study also highlighted different patterns of associations among cognitive factors, emotional factors, and online academic performance during COVID-19 in adolescence and young adulthood. Developmental implications were also discussed.Item "The Channeling Effect": How Parent-Child Relationship Quality Moderates the Associations of Emotion Socialization with Adolescent Social Competence and Well-Being(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Gautam, Pratibha; Xia, MengyaParental emotion socialization practice is important for adolescent psychological development (Beckmeyer & Russell, 2018; Brand & Klimes-Dugan, 2010). Prior research has focused on how emotion socialization predicts adolescent social competence, and how social competence is further linked to adolescent well-being. However, the conditions under which emotion socialization works is not fully understood. Since parents' well-intended efforts at emotional socialization might not always be effective, it is important to know when these efforts are effective. One potential factor influencing the effectiveness of emotion socialization is parent-child relationship quality. This study aimed to understand the potential moderating effect of relationship quality on parental emotion socialization's association with adolescent social competence and well-being. Findings revealed significant positive association between parental emotion socialization, adolescent social competence, and well-being. Adolescent social competence also partially mediated the association between parental emotion socialization, and adolescent well-being. Finally, parent-child relationship quality significantly moderated the association between parental emotion socialization and all adolescent outcomes. However, this moderation looks different for social competence compared to well-being.Item Examining Homeless Experienced Veterans' Perceived Unsafety within Integrated VA Primary Care Settings: a Structural Equation Modeling Approach(University of Alabama Libraries, 2024) Loup, Julia; Snow, A. Lynn; Hilgeman, Michelle M.Background: Core challenges to primary care delivery for homeless-experienced patients include stigma, prolonged physiological and emotional stress, and a generalized sense of unsafety. The Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress (GUTS) draws on prolonged stress and stigma literature and posits these factors contribute to generalized ‘perceived unsafety' for marginalized populations. To date, no research has quantitatively tested if these factors operate as one measurable construct or as separate dimensions of primary care quality. Elucidating the construct of perceived unsafety may allow for improved interventions and policy approaches for primary care. This study offers the first effort to apply GUTS and the construct of perceived unsafety in homeless-focused primary care using a large national survey of homeless-experienced veterans (HEV).Methods: This quantitative study uses national survey data of 5,766 HEV collected in 2018 across 26 VA clinical sites. GUTS theoretically guided selection from a validated 33-item Primary Care Quality-Homeless (PCQ-H) experience survey. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) formed the perceived unsafety latent construct.Results: The sample of 5,766 HEV were empaneled VA primary care users. Mean age was 57 (SD 14.86), with 89.5% male, 8.8% female (1.8% other), 43.2% White, and 42% Black. Significant medical and mental health comorbidities were common in this sample.The Perceived Unsafety construct resulted in following acceptable model fit parameters χ 2 (75) = 1796.939, p ≤ 0.000, RMSEA ≤ 0.063 (90% CI 0.061 - 0.066), SRMR ≤ 0.053, CFI ≤ 0.926, TLI ≤ 0.910. Social support, physical health, mental health, and substance use diagnoses emerged as significant predictors of perceived (un)safety. A significant moderation of clinic type was found between mental and physical health and perceived unsafety. No moderation of perceived unsafety was found for age and onset of homelessness. Conclusions: GUTS and the construct of perceived unsafety was theoretically and statistically found to be an acceptable measurable construct of primary care perception for HEV. Further analyses found that perceived unsafety was significantly related to the many social, mental, and physical health concerns often identified in the HEV population. These findings offer safety as novel lens into HEVs perception of integrated primary care.Item Exclusion of Youth with Down Syndrome: Effects of Age, Moral Reasoning, and Past Experience(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Reardanz, Jenna Leeann; Conners, Frances A.; McDonald, Kristina L.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaSocial exclusion can be detrimental to those who experience it (Killen, 1991). Experiences of exclusion can increase the likelihood of later internalizing and externalizing issues (Masten, Eisenberger et al., 2009; Denham, et al., 2017). Research among typically developing (TD) children and adolescents suggests that there is a curvilinear trend of exclusion, in that exclusion peaks during early adolescence (Malti, Strohmeier, & Killen, 2015; Damon, 1977; 1983). Additionally, research suggests that as youth get older they tend to use more morally based reasoning when deciding if they are going to include or exclude a peer (Smentana, et al., 2012; Wainryb, et al., 2005; Smentana, 2013). Past research has primarily focused on the exclusion of a TD peer, instead of a peer with a disability. A few seminal studies have demonstrated that those with a disability may be at a higher risk to be excluded when compared to TD peers (Gasser, Malti, & Buholzer, 2012). Additionally, past research suggests that positive past experiences may increase the likelihood to include a peer with a disability (Armstrong, et al., 2016; Nowicki, 2006). The current study found the expected curvilinear trend of excluding others, especially when the excluded peer had Down syndrome (DS), as well as the expected impact of both disability type and situation on rates of exclusion. Linear trends of moral reasoning with age were found in specific disability and situation interactions. However, the relationship between past experience and moral reasoning with exclusion was not substantiated.Item Executive Functions: Predicting Discrepancies Between Child Performance Measures and Informant Report(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Erwin, Hillary; Gilpin, AnsleyExecutive function (EF) skills, such as inhibitory control, working memory, and attention shift, help children control their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, and thus are foundational and predictive of children's future academic and occupational success (Brock et al., 2009; Zelazo et al., 2016). Executive functions can be assessed directly via child performance measures or via informant report (e.g., parent or teacher report). However, often there is a discrepancy between measures, reflecting differences between the measures' ecological validity, context, capacity, and performance (Isquith et al., 2013; McAuley et al. 2010). The purpose of this research was to investigate the difference between children's EF scores on performance measures versus teacher report, and to determine if there were factors that predict the discrepancy. Results indicated that age, vocabulary, aggression, and hyperactivity were predictors of the direction of the discrepancy, and that aggression and hyperactivity were predictors of the magnitude of the discrepancy. These findings have implications for researchers to determine which measure(s) of EF are best to use for their methodology and to determine if additional variables may need to be considered. Moreover, in the future, this line of research may also inform education and clinical practice to best assess children's EF.Item Hunting Snark: an Exploration of Beliefs About and Use of Aggressive Sarcasm in Friendship Conflict(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Massey, Katelyn; Parker, Jeffrey G.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaScholars agree that conflict management behaviors are one critical determinant of the positive or negative relational and individual consequences of friendship conflict. Aggression is regularly regarded as a maladaptive conflict response by scholars and individuals alike. However, there is a subset of indirect aggressive behavior that may be alluring in a conflict setting but is not yet understood – snark. Two studies explore views of snark and measurement of its use. The first study examined the normative beliefs and naïve theories people hold about snark in relation to alternative conflict behaviors. The impacts of gender and personality traits on snark views were explored. The second study established a self-report measure of individuals’ inclination to using snark in response to friendship issues. Snark use’s relationships with gender, personality traits, and friendship qualities were examined. These studies provide a foundation for future research on this potentially problematic conflict response.Item Identifying and Analyzing Medical Child Abuse Cases Through Collateral Sources(University of Alabama Libraries, 2022) Angotti, Giana; Hamilton, James C.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaMedical Child Abuse (MCA) is a form of child maltreatment in which a caregiver exaggerates, feigns, or induces illness or injury in a child, resulting in unnecessary, and often harmful, medical procedures (Roesler & Jenny, 2008, p. 1). As a result of the deceptive nature of MCA, empirical research is difficult to conduct, and our knowledge of MCA is largely limited to case studies. One approach that circumvents the deceptiveness and elusiveness of perpetrators is to collect information about medically abused children and their caregivers from collateral sources. In the present study a convenience sample (N = 203) was recruited to report on a child known to them who has a chronic or complex medical condition. After collecting basic information about the child and their caregiver, participants were asked about their suspicions that the caregiver was exaggerating or fabricating the child’s medical problems. Of the 203 index children reported on, 62 (30.5%) were strongly suspected of being overmedicalized or medically abused. Compared to children who were not suspected to be overmedicalized, the OM/MCA cases were characterized by increased healthcare use (e.g., number of doctor visits) and a trend of overall increased medical care, supporting patterns observed in the clinical case literature. Other expected differences, including a predominance of female caregivers and higher risk to younger children, were not supported. Although MCA is widely believed to be under-recognized and under-reported clinically, the prevalence implied by this study is shockingly high. My results suggest that there may be cases of MCA that depart from the prototype that arises from the clinical case literature, and that some of the clinical features that are regarded as diagnostic on MCA may not actually differentiate overmedicalized from non-overmedicalized children.Item The Impact of Perceived Control on Stressor Reactivity Across Adulthood and Late Life(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Hill, Kyrsten Costlow; Parmelee, Patricia AObjective: Perceived control has been found to buffer the negative effects of stress on affective well-being, or stressor reactivity. However, there are mixed findings on how these associations change across age. The current study examined the unique effects of global and daily perceived control on daily stressor reactivity and whether this buffering effect differs with age. Method: Data was combined from the second wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey and the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE), yielding a sample of 2,022 participants ranging in age from 33 to 84 years. Participants completed measures of global perceived control during MIDUS surveys and daily ratings of stress, control, and negative affect during eight NSDE daily diaries. Analyses were conducted using multilevel modeling (MLM) and time-varying effect modeling (TVEM) to examine associations on both a micro and macro timescale, respectively. Results: Negative affect and stressor reactivity decreased across adulthood, followed by upturns starting in the early- to mid-70s. Global control was associated with lower negative affect across age. In MLM but not TVEM analyses, global control was found to moderate, or buffer, stressor reactivity. This buffering effect was age invariant. Daily control did not exhibit significant main or interaction effects in MLM analyses. However, daily control predicted negative affect from ages 41 to 62 and moderated stressor reactivity in the late 60s in TVEM analyses. Conclusions: Findings highlight the complex associations between perceived control and stressor reactivity and emphasize the need for additional research examining both intraindividual variability and intraindividual change in these associations. Directions for future research and clinical implications of the present findings are discussed.Item In Between Depression and Decline: the Role of Intra-Individual Cognitive Variation(University of Alabama Libraries, 2024) Lin, Shih-Hsuan; Allen, Rebecca S.Intra-individual cognitive variability (IICV) is defined as the variation in cognitive performance within an individual at a single assessment. In the application of neuropsychological assessment, high IICV has been found to predict cognitive decline and dementia incidence among older adults. However, the role of depression in this predictive relationship between IICV and cognitive decline has not been explored. The current proposal investigated this mediational relationship using a diverse, longitudinal, archival data set from the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. The hypotheses included: 1) high IICV would predict low and steep cognitive and functional decline, 2) high depression would predict low and steep cognitive and functional decline, and 3) IICV would mediate the relationship between depression and decline, both cognitively and functionally. Furthermore, reliable cognitive and functional decline was calculated with the Reliable Change Index (RCI) to mirror the dichotomous clinical diagnostic decision. Growth curve modeling and logistic regressions were employed to examine the hypotheses for the continuous and the categorical cognition and functional variables with separate models reporting results accounting for missingness, study effects, as well as non-normal data correction. While the cognitive outcome is based on a composite score summarizing performances from multiple cognitive domains, functional outcome is assessed by a self-report questionnaire inquiring multiple domains of instrumental functionality. Missingness was associated with the trajectory of cognitive decline but did not change the results. Results supported the main effect of IICV and depression on cognitive and functional decline. The hypothesized mediation in which IICV mediated the relation between depression and cognition/ functionality was not well supported by the data. On the contrary, the reverse path wherein depression mediated cognition/ functionality was statistically significant. Results from the dichotomized cognitive variable were comparable. However, applying the RCI to functionality measures did not yield clinically meaningful results, suggesting possible methodological issues. On clinical assessment and diagnosis, findings supported the clinical use of IICV. Scientifically, this study contributed to the literature on depression and dementia. Limitations of the current study were noted and ways to improve upon them for future endeavors were suggested.Item Investigating the Qualities of a Preschool Leader: A Latent Profile Analysis(University of Alabama Libraries, 2022) Held, Lindsey Louise; Gilpin, Ansley T.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThere are individuals that emerge as leaders in every stage of the lifespan, including early childhood. Research investigating early childhood leaders and the characteristics that set them apart from their peers is scant. This study is the first to assess the constructs that comprise the profiles of preschool leaders by using latent profile analysis (LPA). We hypothesized that profiles with higher executive functioning, emotion knowledge, emotion regulation, imagination, theory of mind, receptive vocabulary, and higher reception of prosocial behaviors would score higher on our construct of leader. We also hypothesized that profiles scoring average on the constructs of interest would score average on the construct of leader, and profiles scoring low on the constructs of interest would score lowest on the construct of leader. Our hypotheses were tested through secondary data analysis of four similar data sets that included 401 preschoolers from West Alabama. As hypothesized, profiles with the highest scores on the constructs of interest scored highest on the leader construct; profiles with average scores on the constructs of interest scored average on the leader construct; and profiles with the lowest scores on the constructs of interest scored the lowest on the leader construct. Our findings have implications for current and future models of leadership development. This study adds to the underdeveloped topic of leadership in early childhood and will be the starting point for the creation of a validated leader measure for preschoolers.Item A Network Approach to Early Life Adversity, Sleep Disturbance, and Depressive Symptoms(University of Alabama Libraries, 2022) Marquez, Francisco De Jesus; Cribbet, Matthew R; University of Alabama TuscaloosaABSTRACTExperiences of early life adversity (ELA) engender a variety of adverse health outcomes, such as obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and major depressive disorder. Compared to individuals without exposure to adversity, individuals with ELA experience a greater likelihood of sleep disturbance. Associations between early adversity and sleep disturbance may explain increased risk for depressive symptoms in individuals with ELA. However, the bidirectional nature of the relationship between sleep disturbance and major depression presents a challenge in unraveling the temporality of these associations. Moreover, the underlying affective, somatic, and interpersonal factors that influence sleep disturbance in individuals with ELA are poorly understood. To address this gap, we employed a nomothetic network analytic approach to assess ELA-specific differences between the presentation of comorbid sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms. To this end, data from the second wave of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States study (MIDUS2, N=1255, 56.8%=Female) were used to generate ELA-specific networks of sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms. Individuals exposed to ELA experienced greater comorbid somatic, cognitive, and interpersonal symptoms of depression compared to those without ELA (M = 0.15; p < 0.05). Moreover, we found that depressive symptoms were more severe among those with ELA, relative to those without (S = 0.24; 1.4 vs 1.1, p < 0.01). Bridged network analysis indicated that there was increased sleep disturbance and depressive symptom comorbidity among those with ELA, relative to those without ELA (S = 0.54; 4.1 vs 3.6, p < 0.01). In adherence with the NIH's Research Domain Criteria, our findings underscore the utility of novel statistical approaches to identify transdiagnostic mechanisms of risk that may result from environmental exposures. Statistical approaches which uncover these transdiagnostic mechanisms of risk may serve to develop trauma-informed interventions, thereby serving to assuage the public health burden of ELA.Item Parental Knowledge in Screening for Autism(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Rankin, James Alexander; Tomeny, Theodore S.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaTimely diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is vitally important for improving the prognosis of young children with this condition. One of the greatest challenges facing healthcare providers for individuals with ASD and their families is shortening the time between when symptoms first appear and when an assessment for ASD is conducted. Current practice guidelines suggest pediatric screening should occur before 24 months of age for all children to help in detecting ASD as early as possible. Currently, screeners such as the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers – Revised (M-CHAT-R) have been developed and validated for use in primary care settings. However, an underlying assumption behind screeners such as the M-CHAT-R is that parents are able to adequately understand the items on a screener questionnaire and relate those items back to their child’s behavior. Using an item response theory framework, the current study found that the majority of behaviors characteristic of ASD assessed during the screening process are easy or very easy for parents to correctly identify. This study also found that greater parental knowledge of both child development norms and knowledge of ASD helped parents to accurately identify symptoms of ASD, but only when these symptoms were severe. Results of the current study help to highlight a fundamental divide in screening wherein more severe cases of ASD are well captured by current screening measures, but mild, less severe cases of ASD may require closer examination in future studies on screening accuracy.Item Positivity Beyond Absence of Negativity: Social Competence Mediates the Association Between Positive Parenting and Adolescent Friendship Quality(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Odom, Korina Renee; Xia, MengyaParenting is important for adolescent friendship development. However, previous research has focused on the adverse effect of negative parenting on adolescents' behavioral problems that undermines their friendships (e.g., Cook et al., 2012). Positive parenting, beyond the absence of negative parenting behaviors, intends to empower the child and strengthen their competencies, including promoting their independence and acknowledging individual strengths. These assets could enhance social competencies that are needed to form and maintain high quality friendships during adolescence (Batool & Lewis, 2020). We propose gratitude (i.e., showing appreciation for others) and empathy (i.e., understanding others perspectives) are two critical social competencies for adolescent interpersonal relationships. Therefore, this study focused on autonomy-supportive and strength-based parenting as two dimensions of positive parenting to examine their predictive effect on friendship, through the mediation of social competence. We used a path model to analyze data of 506 late adolescences (85.4% females; age: M=18.4, SD=0.68) from the student participant pool collected via SONA program. Participants were asked to report parents' autonomy support and strength-based parenting during adolescence, their social emotional competencies (gratitude, and empathy), and current friendship quality. The latent mediational model of positive parenting, social competencies, and friendship quality had a good fit with the data. Autonomy-support parenting was significantly associated to social competencies of gratitude and empathy. Strength-based parenting was not significantly associated to gratitude and empathy. Both indicators of social competencies significantly predicted adolescent friendship quality. Lastly, latent mediational model suggest that social competence partially mediates the relationship between positive parenting (i.e., strength-based, and autonomy-supportive parenting) and adolescent friendship quality. This study will contribute to the underdeveloped topic of positive parenting from a strength-based approach and will provide insight how positive parenting influences adolescent friendship quality through the mediation of social competence.Item Puberty Blues: Re-Examining Perceived Pubertal Timing, Peer Relationships, and Psychosocial Outcomes in Adolescence(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Masters, Stephanie; Barth, Joan M; Gilpin, AnsleyWhile prior research suggests that youth who go through puberty earlier than their peers are at a heightened risk for poor psychological outcomes, such as depression, the relationship between early pubertal timing and poor psychosocial outcomes does not emerge in all samples, nor is it consistent across gender. Two studies explored how perceived pubertal timing, gender, peer relationships impact psychological outcomes in adolescence. The first study examined the how perceived pubertal timing, gender, peer victimization impact internalizing problems. The second study examined how perceived pubertal timing, gender, and peer relationships (peer victimization and affiliation with peers who use substances) impact substance use among adolescents. These studies provide insight into the importance of adolescent social experiences on adolescent adjustment.Item Self-Presentation and the Looking-Glass Self: Synergistic Frameworks for Influencing Agreeable Personality States(University of Alabama Libraries, 2022) Breeden, Christopher John; Hart, William P.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaResearch suggests that people should be able to intentionally reduce their trait-level antagonism by experiencing more agreeable personality states, but most interventions based in these notions seem rather inefficacious. Prior evidence suggests that people higher in trait-level antagonism might have some social-cognitive barriers that reduce the effectiveness of these interventions. Based in two complementary social-cognitive frameworks (i.e., self-presentation theory; looking-glass self), I theorized that public self-presentation of an agreeable personality-type might circumvent these barriers. To test this theory, participants (N = 378) reported on their levels of trait-level antagonism during a pre-screening session, and then wrote short essays about themselves to intentionally come across as someone with (a) an open personality-type or (b) an agreeable personality-type (self-presentation manipulation). Participants were also misled to believe that their essays would (a) remain private or (b) become available to a clinical graduate student who would diagnose their personality-type (publicity manipulation). Agreeable personality states were captured after the manipulations via self-reported state-level antagonism, agreeableness change goals, and agreeable behavioral intentions. Trait-level antagonism related positively to state-level antagonism and negatively to agreeable behavioral intentions but was unrelated to agreeableness change goals. Additionally, males (relative to females) reported greater trait- and state-level antagonism, lesser agreeableness change goals, and lesser agreeable behavioral intentions. Inconsistent with my theory, no two-way interactive effects of the manipulations nor any three-way self-presentation*publicity*trait-level antagonism effects emerged. Overall, this research suggests that agreeable personality states are difficult to induce via public self-presentation and more work incorporating stronger manipulations is necessary.Item Social Motivation Intervention Leveraging E-Learning (Smile) for Children with Autism(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Simmons, Grace Lee; White, Susan WAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired social reciprocity which is thought to derive, in part, from a lack of interest in engaging with peers and forging and maintaining friendships (i.e., disrupted social motivation). Yet there is a paucity of intervention work targeting social amotivation in autistic youth. Therefore, the present study developed and implemented an innovative, telehealth-delivered program for autistic youth that targets disrupted social motivation - the Social Motivation Intervention Leveraging E-learning (SMILE). In Phase 1 of the study, a participatory action approach was employed, in which a panel of nine expert advisors assisted in the development of the SMILE program. SMILE was then implemented via telehealth with six groups of school-age autistic youth, aged 8 - 12 (n = 28). Participants were randomly allocated into intervention (i.e., SMILE, n = 15) or waitlist control (WLC, n = 13) groups. Results indicated high treatment fidelity, moderately strong therapeutic alliance, low attrition (6%), high attendance (93% missed < one session), and high caregiver ratings of program satisfaction. Clinical impact, measured via observer-assessed social motivation, was variable: 47% of participants assigned to the SMILE group exhibited a clinically significant improvement in social motivation at post assessment; and 40% assigned to the SMILE group exhibited a clinically significant improvement in social motivation at follow up. There were no significant group differences in social motivation at post or follow up timepoints. Although the clinical impact of SMILE is not apparent in this pilot study, findings nevertheless speak directly to the feasibility and acceptability of telehealth delivery of clinical interventions to improve targeted deficits (i.e., impaired social motivation) in children with ASD. Future research may include delivery of SMILE to a larger sample, with groups which are stratified based on age and/or gender and/or cognitive ability in order to better understand clinical profiles of children who are most likely to engage and reap benefits from engagement in this program. Future research might also integrate SMILE into existing social intervention protocols, allowing clinicians to target diminished motivation to build social skills in order to best meet their client's needs and potentially augment treatment effects.Item Triadic family structures and their day-to-day dynamics from an adolescent perspective: A multilevel latent profile analysisPalabras clave(sic)(sic)(sic)(Wiley, 2022) Xia, Mengya; Bray, Bethany C.; Fosco, Gregory M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of Illinois Chicago; University of Illinois Chicago Hospital; Pennsylvania State University; Pennsylvania State University - University ParkRelationship structure (patterns of relative closeness among multiple family members) and dynamics (changes in relationship structures overtime) are two main aspects of family system functioning, yet empirical tests of these concepts lag behind theory. Recent growth in advanced methods for complex data structures makes it possible to empirically capture structures and dynamics within multiple family relationships overtime. To answer how relationship structure may fluctuate from day to day, this study used multilevel latent profile analysis (MLPA) as an innovative and feasible method to capture mother-father-adolescent (MFA) relationship structures and dynamics on a daily basis. Using daily adolescent reports of mother-father (MF), mother-adolescent (MA), and father-adolescent (FA) closeness from 144 two-parent families for up to 21 days, we identified six day-level MFA structures: Cohesive (33% of days; three close dyads), Mother-Centered (9%; closer MF, average MA, less close FA), Adolescent-Centered (4%; less close MF, closer MA and FA), MA-Coalition (3%; closer MA, less close MF and FA), Disengaged (23%; three less close dyads), and Average (28%; three approximately average dyads). We identified five types of MFA dynamics at the family level: Stable Cohesive (35% of families; exhibited Cohesive structure most days), Stable Disengaged (20%; Disengaged structure most days), Stable MA-Coalition (3%; MA-Coalition structure most days), Stable Average (24%; Average structure most days), and Variable (17%; varied among multiple structures). Methodologically, daily diary designs and MLPA can be useful tools to empirically examine concrete hypotheses of complex, non-linear processes in family systems. Substantive and methodological implications are discussed.