Parent-adolescent conflict in early adolescence

Abstract

This study explored parent-adolescent conflict during the early years of adolescence (ages 11 to 14). The responses of 357 youths in Grades 6, 7, and 8 to the Issues Checklist (Prinz, Foster, Kent, & O'Leary, 1979) revealed frequent conflicts with parents over a sizable number of issues during this period, peaking in Grade 7 between parents and sons, with exchanges between parents and daughters consistently more than those with sons across the three grades. There was considerable variation in both the frequency and intensity of conflict across specific issues. In addition, a consistent pattern of gender-typing was observed in conflicts between parents and daughters, reflecting traditional gender role stereotypes. The results of this study point to the importance of examining both the frequency and intensity of conflict, the specific issues over which there is conflict, and the gender of the participants in order to more fully understand the nature of parent-adolescent conflict during early adolescence.