Impact of parent-adolescent conflict on adolescents well-being

An increase in disagreements and low levels of conflict between parents and adolescents is considered typical for adolescence due to the many developmental transitions characteristic for this stage in an adolescent’s life. Although most families tend to successfully manage these transitions, for some families the transitions may lead to an escalation of otherwise normal disagreements into high levels of parent-adolescent conflict. A range of factors that may contribute to the different levels of parent-adolescent conflict have been identified by the research on parent-adolescent relationships. However, which specific factors are associated with the increased levels of parent-adolescent conflict as opposed to the parent-adolescent disagreements remains unknown. Some studies suggest that conflict characteristics, in particular conflict frequency, conflict intensity and topics of conflict determine different levels of parent-adolescents conflict.

Some studies suggest that parenting styles have a significant impact on the escalation of disagreements into high level of parent-adolescent conflict. Yet other studies suggest that the way in which the conflict is resolved plays a crucial role in determining different levels of conflict (Laursen & Hafen, 2010). The present investigation examines differences between those families who experience low to moderate levels of parent-adolescent conflict and those families who experience high levels of parent-adolescent conflict by incorporating all three factors into investigation. The investigation was conducted as two separate, yet related, studies. A sample of 19 young adults, 18 to 30 years of age, participated in the first study conducted as a retrospective analysis of their experience of conflict with their parents during adolescence. A sample of 21 families with adolescents, 12 to 19 years of age, participated in the second study, conducted to evaluate families’ present experience of parent-adolescents conflict. A three-part questionnaire, developed by the researcher for the purpose of the present investigation, was administered to the participants in both studies. Data obtained from the two samples was qualitatively analysed using grounded theory method and Leximancer. The emergent findings showed that parenting styles and conflict resolution strategies, but not the conflict characteristics, are strongly associated with the escalation of the disagreements into high levels of parent-adolescent conflict.