Topics of conflict between parents and young adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
Parents often examine and question interactions with their young teen and may ask the advice of healthcare professionals. Topics, frequency, and intensity of conflicts between young adolescents and parents were therefore examined.


METHODS
A descriptive survey using the 44-item Issues Checklist (Robin, 1975) with 163 parent and young adolescent (ages 11-14) dyads.


RESULTS
Parents and teens were congruent about their reports of the topics, frequency, and intensity of conflict. Discussion of the topics generally was not angry. Mothers reported the greatest quantity of issues. Potentially sensitive topics such as substance use, dating, and sex were rarely approached by either parent or young adolescent. Sociodemographic characteristics did not distinguish or were not associated with IC scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Conflict is a common component of the parent-young adolescent relationship. Families with children entering adolescence can expect conflict about issues that recur but usually are not that "hot". Anticipating topics may put conflict in perspective. Nurses help families resolve conflicts associated with day-to-day conflicts as a first step toward opening up larger, potentially sensitive topics.
Riesch
S K
SK
University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. skriesch@facstaff.wisc.edu
Bush
L
L
Nelson
C J
CJ
Ohm
B J
BJ
Portz
P A
PA
Abell
B
B
Wightman
M R
MR
Jenkins
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011897:Random Allocation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires