The silent effect of parental emotional conflict on adolescent adjustment

Abstract

Research suggests children and adolescents who witness parental conflict are at a greater risk for developing psychological problems than those who do not. However this research has tended to focus on physical and verbal parental conflict. The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of emotional parental conflict. Two studies were conducted. The first study interviewed 6 adolescents (aged between 17 and 19 years) in order to define emotional conflict and establish a scale to be used in study II. One hundred and thirty two first year psychology students aged between 17.0 and 20.75 years (104 female and 28 male) completed questionnaires for study two. Independent variables were emotional conflict and physical conflict. Dependent variables were depression, anxiety, stress and self-esteem. Peer and parent attachment (alienation, trust and communication), locus of control, self-blame, triangulation, and perceived threat were tested as potential mediating variables. Moderate correlations were found between emotional conflict and adolescent depression, anxiety and self-esteem. Physical conflict was correlated only with anxiety. Significant mediating variables in the emotional conflict model were parent and peer alienation. The findings suggest that emotional conflict is an importance influence on adolescent adjustment.