Abstract
The study of conflict processes often focuses on the manner in which disagreements are resolved, such that relationship deterioration is a product of the failure to negotiate. However, conflict management tactics may not be the most salient feature of parent–adolescent conflicts because these relationships are obligatory, with power unevenly distributed, and negotiated resolutions unanticipated. Instead, parent–adolescent relationships may be more sensitive to the affective tenor of the interchange than the manner in which the dispute is resolved. In two studies, we examined the premise that relationship damage arising from disagreements between mothers and adolescent children is a product of negative affect and failure to compromise. Concurrent analyses involved reports from 101 (33 boys, 68 girls) adolescents (M = 13.89 years old) about conflict with mothers. Longitudinal analyses involved reports from 271 (112 boys, 159 girls) adolescents (M = 11.6 years old at the outset) about conflict with mothers at two time points 1 year apart. Compromise and youth negative affect were moderately correlated; when both were included as predictors of adverse relationship consequences arising from conflict, negative affect accounted for almost all of the variance, concurrently and prospectively. Scholars and practitioners who advise families that negotiated resolutions to disagreements help to avoid relationship disruption may be discouraged in their efforts unless a similar emphasis is placed on minimizing negative affect.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, R., & Laursen, B. (2001). The organization and dynamics of adolescent conflict with parents and friends. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 97–110.
Adams, R. E., & Laursen, B. (2007). The correlates of conflict: Disagreement is not necessarily detrimental. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 445–458.
Allen, J. P., Hauser, S. T., O’Connor, T. G., Bell, K. L., & Eickholt, C. (1996). The connection of observed hostile family conflict to adolescents’ developing autonomy and relatedness with parents. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 425–442.
Burk, W. J., Denissen, J., van Doorn, M., Branje, S. J. T., & Laursen, B. (2009). The vicissitudes of conflict measurement: Stability and reliability in the frequency of disagreements. European Psychologist, 14, 153–159.
Canary, D. J., Cupach, W. R., & Messman, S. J. (1995). Relationship conflict: Conflict in parent–child, friendship, and romantic relationships. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Dirghangi, S., Laursen, B., Puder, J., Bjorklund, D. F., & DeLay, D. (2014). Self-reported rates of interpersonal conflict vary as a function of questionnaire format: Why age-related trends in disagreement (and other events) may not be what they seem. Journal of Adolescence, 37(7), 965–972.
Eisenberg, N., Hofer, C., Spinrad, T. L., Gershoff, E. T., Valiente, C., Losoya, S., & Maxon, E. (2008). Understanding mother–adolescent conflict discussions: Concurrent and across-time prediction from youths’ dispositions and parenting. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 73(2), 160.
Fritz, M. S., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2012). Mediation models for developmental data. In B. Laursen, T. D. Little, & N. A. Card (Eds.), Handbook of developmental research methods (pp. 291–310). New York: Guilford.
Furman, W., & Buhrmester, D. (1985). Children’s perceptions of the personal relationships in their social networks. Developmental Psychology, 21, 10016–11024.
Hastings, P., & Grusec, J. E. (1997). Conflict outcome as a function of parental accuracy in perceiving child cognitions and affect. Social Development, 6, 76–90.
Herrenkohl, T. I., Kosterman, R., Hawkins, J. D., & Mason, W. A. (2009). Effects of growth in family conflict in adolescence on adult depressive symptoms: Mediating and moderating effects of stress and school bonding. Journal of Adolescent Health, 44, 146–152.
Hollingshead, A. B. (1975). Four factor index of social status. Unpublished manuscript, New Haven, CT: Yale University.
Larson, R., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1983). The experience sampling method. New Directions for Methodology of Social and Behavioral Science, 15, 41–56.
Laursen, B. (1993). The perceived impact of conflict on adolescent relationships. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 39, 535–550.
Laursen, B., & Collins, W. A. (1994). Interpersonal conflict during adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 197–209.
Laursen, B., & Collins, W. A. (2009). Parent–child relationships during adolescence. In R. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Vol. 2. Contextual influences on adolescent development (3rd ed., pp. 3–42). New York: Wiley.
Laursen, B., DeLay, D., & Adams, R. E. (2010). Trajectories of perceived support in mother–adolescent relationships: The poor (quality) get poorer. Developmental Psychology, 46, 1792–1798.
Laursen, B., Denissen, J., & Bjorklund, D. F. (2012). Event frequency measurement. In B. Laursen, T. D. Little, & N. A. Card (Eds.), Handbook of developmental research methods (pp. 65–81). New York: Guilford.
Laursen, B., & Hafen, C. A. (2010). Future directions in the study of close relationships: Conflict is bad (except when it’s not). Social Development, 19, 858–872.
Laursen, B., & Hartup, W. W. (2002). The origins of reciprocity and social exchange in friendships. In B. Laursen & W. G. Graziano (Eds.), Social exchange in development. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development (pp. 27-40). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Laursen, B., Hartup, W. W., & Koplas, A. L. (1996). Towards understanding peer conflict. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 76–102.
Laursen, B., & Pursell, G. (2009). Conflict in peer relationships. In K. H. Rubin, W. M. Bukowski, & B. Laursen (Eds.), Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups (pp. 267–286). New York: Guilford.
Levine, L. J., & Pizarro, D. A. (2004). Emotion and memory research: A grumpy overview. Social Cognition, 22, 530–554.
Little, R. J. A., & Rubin, D. B. (1987). Statistical analysis with missing data. New York: Wiley.
Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed). Los Angeles: Muthén & Muthén.
Nezlek, J. B. (1993). The stability of social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 930–941.
Reis, H. T., & Wheeler, L. (1991). Studying social interaction with the Rochester interaction record. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 24, 269–318.
Rueter, M. A., & Conger, R. D. (1995). Antecedents of parent–adolescent disagreements. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 435–448.
Shantz, C. U. (1987). Conflict between children. Child Development, 58, 283–305.
Silk, J. S., Steinberg, L., & Morris, A. S. (2003). Adolescents’ emotion regulation in daily life: Links to depressive symptoms and problem behavior. Child Development, 74, 1869–1880.
Smetana, J. G., Campione-Barr, N., & Metzger, A. (2005). Adolescent development in interpersonal and societal contexts. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 255–284.
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Acknowledgments
This investigation was supported by a Grant to Kenneth H. Rubin from the US National Institute of Mental Health (MH58116) and by Grants to Brett Laursen from the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Behavior (HD33006) and from the US National Science Foundation (0923745, 0909733). We would like to express our appreciation to Gwen Pursell and to the students, parents, and teachers of cooperating schools in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Prince George's country.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Laursen, B., DeLay, D., Richmond, A. et al. Youth Negative Affect Attenuates Associations Between Compromise and Mother–Adolescent Conflict Outcomes. J Child Fam Stud 25, 1110–1118 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0288-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0288-2