Abstract
Aim: Learning and utilizing effective conflict management styles is important for psychosocial and relational adjustment in adolescence. Therefore, it is essential to examine what is predictive of the conflict management styles adolescents use and whether styles are transferred across relationships. In this study, we longitudinally investigated the transmission of conflict management styles across inter-parental, adolescent-parent, adolescent-friend, and adolescent-partner relationships.
Methods: During four waves, 799 middle-to-late adolescents (Mage-t1 = 15.80; 54% boys) and their parents completed the Conflict Resolution Style Inventory. Adolescents reported on the conflict management styles they used in conflicts with their father, mother, best friend, and romantic partner, and both mothers and fathers reported on the conflict management styles they utilized in conflicts with their partner.
Results: Cross-lagged path analyses indicated transmission of adolescent conflict management styles in relationships with parents to relationships with friends and romantic partners: Positive problem solving and conflict engagement utilized by adolescents in conflicts with parents were significantly, positively related to respectively adolescent positive problem solving and conflict engagement in relationships with friends 1 year later and relationships with partners 2 years later.
Conclusions: This longitudinal study showed that the way adolescents manage conflicts with parents predicts how they handle conflicts later on in relationships outside the family. As adolescents’ conflict management style is prospectively related to their psychosocial and relational functioning, our results suggest that it is important to monitor and address adolescent conflict management in relationships with parents, so that constructive conflict management styles are utilized by adolescents in relationships with parents and in later friendships and romantic relationships.
Methods: During four waves, 799 middle-to-late adolescents (Mage-t1 = 15.80; 54% boys) and their parents completed the Conflict Resolution Style Inventory. Adolescents reported on the conflict management styles they used in conflicts with their father, mother, best friend, and romantic partner, and both mothers and fathers reported on the conflict management styles they utilized in conflicts with their partner.
Results: Cross-lagged path analyses indicated transmission of adolescent conflict management styles in relationships with parents to relationships with friends and romantic partners: Positive problem solving and conflict engagement utilized by adolescents in conflicts with parents were significantly, positively related to respectively adolescent positive problem solving and conflict engagement in relationships with friends 1 year later and relationships with partners 2 years later.
Conclusions: This longitudinal study showed that the way adolescents manage conflicts with parents predicts how they handle conflicts later on in relationships outside the family. As adolescents’ conflict management style is prospectively related to their psychosocial and relational functioning, our results suggest that it is important to monitor and address adolescent conflict management in relationships with parents, so that constructive conflict management styles are utilized by adolescents in relationships with parents and in later friendships and romantic relationships.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Unpublished - 30 Aug 2017 |
Event | European Conference on Developmental Psychology - Utrecht, Netherlands Duration: 29 Aug 2017 → 1 Sept 2017 Conference number: 2017 |
Conference
Conference | European Conference on Developmental Psychology |
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Abbreviated title | ECDP |
Country/Territory | Netherlands |
City | Utrecht |
Period | 29/08/17 → 1/09/17 |