The present article examined relationships between maternal knowledge, maternal behavior control, and preadolescent behavioral competence over time. Four years of self-report data were collected from 133 mothers and their preadolescents, beginning when the preadolescents were in 4th grade. Knowledge, behavior control, and behavioral competence were assessed at all 4 time points. The results for preadolescent-reported variables suggested that maternal knowledge and preadolescent behavioral competence were reciprocally related, but maternal behavior control and preadolescent behavioral competence were not significantly related. Mother-reported maternal knowledge and behavior control were generally not associated with mother-reported preadolescent behavioral competence. Thus, the present study identified a longitudinal, reciprocal association between knowledge and preadolescent behavioral competence, for preadolescent reports of these variables.
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