Intraindividual Variability in Adolescent Impulsivity: The Predictive Role of Family and Peer Relationships

Adolescent impulsivity is a robust risk factor for adolescent problem behaviors. Historically, impulsivity has been conceptualized as a trait characteristic; however, recent work conducted with adult samples indicates impulsivity also exhibits state-like qualities, fluctuating within persons from day to day. If this is also true for adolescents, it suggests that there are days of higher and lower risk for problem outcomes. This study was designed to (a) demonstrate that impulsivity exhibits meaningful within-person variability in adolescents as it does with adults, and (b) to evaluate family and peer relationship dynamics that may explain daily within-person changes in impulsivity. This study collected baseline surveys and 21 consecutive daily surveys from a sample of 135 parents and adolescents (54.8% female). Parents and adolescents reported on daily family cohesion and conflict and parent-adolescent closeness and conflict; adolescents reported on daily peer relationship satisfaction and rejection, and impulsivity. Multilevel models indicated that on days of elevated family conflict, parent-adolescent conflict, and peer rejection, adolescents experienced higher than usual impulsivity, especially in analyses of adolescent-reported data. In parent-report data, days of elevated parent-adolescent conflict (in the context of low parent-adolescent connectedness) also was associated with elevated adolescent impulsivity. These findings underscore the dynamic quality of adolescent impulsivity and indicate that interpersonal conflict may be a key day-level risk factor for elevated impulsivity.