Call for proposals for a Journal of Adolescence special issue
Smetana, Judith
In 2000, Stattin and Kerr published two empirical research articles that upended longstanding assumptions in developmental science research—that parental monitoring (that is, keeping track of where adolescents go, who they are with, and what they are doing when they are away from home) is a key ingredient for keeping adolescents out of trouble and on the path towards healthy development. Their research showed that most research measured what parents know about their teen’s activities (i.e., parental knowledge), not what they do(i.e., monitoring). They also showed that adolescent disclosure, not parenting (control or solicitation) was the main source of parental knowledge, and in turn, reductions in problem behavior. These findings have led to many new avenues of research that have transformed our understanding of parent-adolescent relationships.
The aim of this special issue, to be edited by Judith Smetana (University of Rochester) and Nicole Campione-Barr (University of Missouri), is to take stock of the field after 25 years of research based on Stattin and Kerr’s initial findings and to highlight new empirical results and directions that build on this line of research. This special issue seeks to publish empirical papers that refine, challenge, and extend our knowledge of adolescent disclosure and secrecy and parental monitoring and knowledge in different contexts and cultures. We hope to include 8 to 12 empirical research papers of a maximum of 5,000 words, as well as potentially one to two theoretical and/or methodological papers. We are particularly interested in studies that address gaps in the previous research or extend the findings in new ways. This includes but is not limited to: novel methods (e.g., observational or other non-survey-based methods), longitudinal studies and new data analytic approaches, understudied samples, and consideration of novel issues related to parental monitoring, and adolescent disclosure and secrecy (e.g., family use of modern technology, etc.).
Brief (2 page) proposals for papers should be sent directly to me at jsme...@ur.rochester.edu and are due by October 15. Full submissions will be due by February 15, 2026.