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Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Depressed Mood: The Role of Family Functioning

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Abstract

Family functioning was investigated as a mediator between interparental conflict and adolescent depressed mood among adolescents living in two-parent and divorced families. Data were collected three times, with one year intervals. At the initial interview, adolescents were, on the average, 15.5 years old. Two types of interparental conflict were assessed: interparental conflict involving arguments about the adolescent, and arguments focused on the parents' behaviors. The results confirmed that family functioning mediated the effects of parent issue/interparental conflict, but not adolescent issue/interparental conflict. This was most evident for girls than boys. Implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Individual & Family Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716

    Donald G. Unger

  2. University of Delaware, USA

    Margaret B. Brown, Patricia A. Tressell & Laurie Ellis McLeod

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  1. Donald G. Unger
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Unger, D.G., Brown, M.B., Tressell, P.A. et al. Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Depressed Mood: The Role of Family Functioning. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 31, 23–41 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1001922004459

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