Parent-Adolescent Conflict Process and the Relationship with Adolescents' Problematic Internet Usage

Year 2022, , 10 - 19, 26.04.2022

Derya Atalan Ergin

https://doi.org/10.17556/erziefd.892727

Abstract

The parent-adolescent relationship is getting more complicated during adolescence. Adolescents demand more autonomy; parents try to balance between adolescents’ demands and their own expectations. These changes may cause more frequent and intense conflict between parent-adolescent, which in turn would affect adolescents’ problematic behaviour. The present study has two parts: Study 1 aims to examine the impact of demographic variables, more specifically parent and adolescents’ gender, on conflict and Study 2 investigates the impact of conflict on PIU. The sample of Study 1 consisted of 173 adolescents (101 girls, 58.4%; 72 boys, 41.6%). The main and interaction effect of gender was analysed in the detailed conflict using two-way ANOVA. The sample of Study 2 consisted of 221 adolescents (107 girls, 48.4%;113 boys, 51.4%). The predicted role of the amount of time parents and adolescents spend together and conflict issues with problematic internet usage (PIU) was examined using the hierarchical regression model. Results revealed an interaction effect of parents’ and adolescents’ gender on conflict. Daughter-mother and son-father conflicts were resolved in more positive ways. Besides, adolescents who spent time with their parents had less PIU, but conflict about the internet was related to higher PIU. The study revealed that the duration of interaction between adolescents and their same-gender parents is critical for conflict resolution. Moreover, the interaction had a buffer role and the conflict on the internet was a risk factor for adolescents’ PIU.

Keywords

Parent-adolescent conflict, problematic Internet usage, conflict resolution, conflict intensity, conflict frequency, gender

Ebeveyn-Ergen Çatışma Süreci ve Ergenlerin Problemli İnternet Kullanımı ile İlişkisi

Abstract

Ergenlik, ebeveyn-ergen arasındaki ilişkilerin daha karmaşık hale geldiği bir dönemdir. Ergenler anne babalarından daha fazla özerklik talep ederken, ebeveynler kendi beklentileri ve ergenlerin talepleri arasında denge kurmaya çalışırlar. Bu değişimler ebeveyn-ergen arasında daha yoğun ve sık çatışmalara neden olabilir. Çatışmaların artışı ise ergenin problemli davranışları ile ilişkilendirilebilir. Bu araştırma iki bölümden oluşmaktadır: Çalışma 1’in örneklemi 173 ergen oluşturmaktadır (101 kız, %58.4, 72 erkek, %41.6). Çatışmanın ayrıntılı incelenmesinde cinsiyetin ana ve ortak etkisinin belirlenmesi amacıyla iki-yönlü ANOVA kullanılmıştır. Çalışma 2’nin örneklemi 221 ergen oluşturmaktadır (107 kız, %48.4, 113 erkek, %51.4). Ebeveyn ve ergenin birlikte geçirdikleri zamanın miktarının ve çatışma konularının Problemli İnternet Kullanımı (PİK) üzerindeki yordayıcılığı hiyerarşik regresyon analizi kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Bulgular çatışma üzerinde ebeveyn ve ergenin cinsiyetinin ortak etkisini göstermektedir. Kız-anne ve oğlan-baba arasındaki çatışmalar daha olumlu yollarla çözülmektedir. Ayrıca, ebeveynleriyle daha fazla zaman geçiren ergenlerin PİK düzeyleri daha düşüktür. Ancak internet konusunda yapılan tartışmalar PİK’in yüksek düzeyiyle ilişkili bulunmuştur. Bu çalışma, ergenin kendi cinsiyetinden ebeveyniyle geçirdiği etkileşimin önemini ortaya koymaktadır. Ek olarak, ebeveyn-ergen etkileşimi PİK üzerinde koruyucu bir faktörken, internet hakkındaki çatışmalar risk faktörüdür.

Keywords

problemli İnternet kullanımı, çatışmanın çözümü, çatışmanın yoğunluğu, çatışmanın sıklığı, cinsiyet, ebeveyn-ergen çatışması

References

• Ahmad, I., & Amin, Z. (2019). Perceived parent-adolescent conflict and social competence: moderating role of gender. Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 29(2), 37-52.
• Atalan Ergin, D. (2018). Effect of attachment, parental mediation, impulsivity on problematic internet usage and academic achievement [Doctoral dissertation]. Ankara University, Turkey
• Baiocco, R., Manzi, D., Lonigro, A., Petrocchi, N., Laghi, F., Ioverno, S., & Ottaviani, C. (2017). A kid-friendly tool to assess rumination in children and early adolescents: Relationships with mother psychopathology and family functioning. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(10), 2703-2715. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0784-7
• Baumrind, D. (2005). Patterns of parental authority and adolescent autonomy. New Directions Child and Adolescent Development, 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1002/cd.128
• Bhandari, P.M., Neupane, D., Rijal, S.,Thapa, K., Mishra, S.R. & Poudyal, A.K.(2017). Sleep quality, Internet addiction and depressive symptoms among undergraduate students in Nepal. BMC Psychiatry, 17(1), 106-113. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1275-5
• Bolat, N., Yavuz, M., Eliaçık, K., & Zorlu, A. (2018). The relationships between problematic internet -use, alexithymia levels and attachment characteristics in a sample of adolescents in a high school, Turkey. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 23(5), 604-611. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2017.1394474
• Bommel, D. M. H. V., Giessen, D. V. der, Graaff, J. V. der, Meeus, W. H. J., & Branje, S. J. T. (2019). Mother–adolescent conflict interaction sequences: The role of maternal internalizing problems. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 29(4), 1001-1018. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12441
• Boniel-Nissim, M., & Sasson, H. (2018). Bullying victimization and poor relationships with parents as risk factors of problematic internet use in adolescence. Computers in Human Behavior, 88, 176-183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.05.041
• Branje, S. J., van Doorn, M., van der Valk, I., & Meeus, W. (2009). Parent–adolescent conflicts, conflict resolution types and adolescent adjustment. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30(2), 195-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.004
• Branje, S. (2018). Development of parent–adolescent relationships: Conflict interactions as a mechanism of change. Child Development Perspectives, 12(3), 171-176. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12278
• Bumpus, M.F., Crouter, A.C. &McHale, S.M. (2001). Parental autonomy granting during adolescence: Exploring gender differenses in contex. Developmental Psychology, 47, 164-173. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.37.2.163
• Cabrera, N. J., Volling, B. L., & Barr, R. (2018). Fathers are parents, too! Widening the lens on parenting for children's development. Child Development Perspectives, 12(3), 152-157. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12275
• Cerniglia, L., Cimino, S., Tafà, M., Marzilli, E., Ballarotto, G., & Bracaglia, F. (2017). Family profiles in eating disorders: Family functioning and psychopathology. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 10, 305-312. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S145463
• Ceyhan, A., Ceyhan, E., & Kurtyilmaz, Y. (2012). The effect of body image satisfaction on problematic internet use through social support, problem solving skills and depression. The Online Journal of Counselling and Education, 1(3), 83-95.
• Chang, F. C., Chiu, C. H., Miao, N. F., Chen, P. H., Lee, C. M., Chiang, J. T. & Pan, Y. C. (2015). The relationship between parental mediation and Internet addiction among adolescents and the association with cyberbullying and depression. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 57, 21-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.11.013
• Chhabra, G. S., & Sodhi, M. K. (2012). Impact of family conflict on the psychosocial behavior in male adolescents. Journal of Nepal Paediatric Society, 32(2), 124-131. http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v32i2.6147
• Cooper, C.R. (1988). Commentary: The role of conflict in adolescent–parent relationships, W.A. Collins, M.R. Gunnar (Eds.), Development during the transition to adolescence, Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology, Vol. 21, Erlbaum, Hillsdale.
• Çoban, Y., & Kısa, C. (2020). Analysis of the relation between social anxieties and parental attitudes of the adolescent high school students. Psychology Research on Education and Social Sciences, 1(1), 1-10.
• Davis, R. A. (2001). A cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet use. Computers in Human Behavior, 17, 187-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(00)00041-8
• Dekovic, M., Noom, M. J. & Meeus, W. (1997). Expectations regarding development during adolescence: parental and adolescent perceptions. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 26, 253–272. https://doi.org/110.1007/s10964-005-0001-7
• De Goede, I. H. A., Branje, S. J. T., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2009). Developmental changes in adolescents’ perceptions of relationships with their parents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 75–88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9286-7.
• De Los Reyes, A., Ohannessian, C. M., & Racz, S. J. (2019). Discrepancies between adolescent and parent reports about family relationships. Child Development Perspectives, 13(1), 53-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12306
• Duncan, G. J., Morris, P. A., & Rodrigues, C. (2011). Does money really matter? Estimating impacts of family income on young children’s achievement with data from random-assignment experiments. Developmental Psychology, 47, 1263–1279. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023875
• Dursun, A. (2010). Examinining of the relationship between the behavioral problems of the children in the preschool period and parents? attitudes [Master thesis]. Dokuz Eylül University.
• Garfield, C. F., Duncan, G., Rutsohn, J., McDade, T. W., Adam, E. K., Levine Coley, R., & Chase-Lansdale, P. L. (2014). A longitudinal study of paternal mental health during transition to fatherhood as young adults. Pediatrics, 133, 836–842. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-3262
• Grotevant, H. D., & Cooper, C. R. (1998). Individuality and connectedness in adolescent development; revies and research on identity, relationship and context. Dalam E. Skoe and A. Von der Lippe (Eds). Personality development in adolescence, A Cross National and Life Span Perspective.
• Hall, G.S. (1904). Adolescence: Its psychology and its relations to physiology, anthropology, sociology, sex, crime, religion and education. 2 vols., Appleton
• Hill, J. P., & Lynch, M. E. (1983). The intensification of gender-related role expectations during early adolescence. In J. Brooks-Gunn & A. C. Petersen (Eds.), Girls at puberty (pp. 201–228). New York, NY; Plenum Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0354-9_10
• Hollenstein, T., & Lougheed, J. P. (2013). Beyond storm and stress: Typicality, transactions, timing and temperament to account for adolescent change. American Psychologist, 68, 444–454. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033586
• Jaramillo, M., Burke, N. L., Shomaker, L. B., Brady, S. M., Kozlosky, M., Yanovski, J. A., & Tanofsky-Kraff, M. (2018). Perceived family functioning in relation to energy intake in adolescent girls with loss of control eating. Nutrients, 10(12), 1869. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10121869
• Johnson, M. M. (1975). Fathers, mothers and sex typing. Sociological Inquiry, 45(1), 15–26. https://doi.org/10. 1111/j.1475-682X.1975.tb01210.x
• Johnson, J. (2019) Share of adults in the United States who use the internet in 2019, by age group. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266587/percentage-of-internet-users-by-age-groups-in-the-us/
• Kasusar, R., & Khan, S. (2020). Psychosocial factors of non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents and young adults. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 35(4), 637-655. https://doi.org/10.33824/PJPR.2020.35.4.34
• Kitazawa, M., Yoshimura, M., Murata, M., Sato‐Fujimoto, Y., Hitokoto, H., Mimura, M., Tsubota, K. & Kishimoto, T. (2018). Associations between problematic Internet use and psychiatric symptoms among university students in Japan. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 72(7), 531-539. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12662
• Laursen, B. (1993). The perceived impact of conflict on adolescent relationships. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 535-550.
• Laursen, B., & Collins, W. (2009). Parent–child relationships during adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Contextual influences on adolescent development (Vol. 2, pp. 3–42). Wiley & Sons Inc.
• Laursen, B., & Collins, W. A. (1994). Interpersonal conflict during adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 197–209. http://dx.doi.org/10 .1037/0033-2909.115.2.197
• Laursen, B., Coy, K. C., & Collins, W. A. (1998). Reconsidering changes in parent‐child conflict across adolescence: A meta‐analysis. Child Development, 69(3), 817-832. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1998.tb06245.x
• Laursen, B. (1995). Conflict and social interaction in adolescent relationships. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 5(1), 55-70.
• Liu, Q. X., Fang, X. Y., Deng, L. Y., & Zhang, J. T. (2012). Parent–adolescent communication, parental Internet use and Internet-specific norms and pathological Internet use among Chinese adolescents. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(4), 1269-1275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.02.010
• Mastrotheodoros, S., Van der Graaff, J., Deković, M., Meeus, W. H., & Branje, S. J. (2019). Coming closer in adolescence: Convergence in mother, father and adolescent reports of parenting. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 29(4), 846-862. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12417
• Mazzoni, E., Baiocco, L., Cannata, D., & Dimas, I. (2016). Is internet the cherry on top or a crutch? Offline social support as moderator of the outcomes of online social support on problematic internet use. Computers in Human Behavior, 56, 369-374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.11.032
• Mills R.S.L., Grusec J.E. (1988). Socialization from the perspective of the parent–child relationship. D.F. Hay, S. Duck (Eds.), Handbook of personal relationships: Theory, research and interventions, Wiley, Oxford.
• Musetti, A., Corsano, P., Boursier, V., & Schimmenti, A. (2020). Problematic internet use in lonely adolescents: The mediating role of detachment from parents. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 17(1), 3-10. https://doi.org/10.36131/clinicalnpsych20200101
• Padilla-Walker, L. M., Coyne, S. M. & Collier, K. M. (2016). Longitudinal relations between parental media monitoring and adolescent aggression, prosocial behavior and externalizing problems. Journal of Adolescence, 46, 86-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.11.002
• Paikoff, R. L., Carlton-Ford, S., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1993). Mother-daughter dyads view the family: Associations between divergent perceptions and daughter well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 22(5), 473-492.
• Palkovitz, R., Trask, B. S., & Adamsons, K. (2014). Essential differences in the meaning and processes of mothering and fathering: Family systems, feminist and qualitative perspectives. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 6(4), 406-420. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12048
• Park, S., Kang, M., & Kim, E. (2014). Social relationship on problematic Internet use (PIU) among adolescents in South Korea: A moderated mediation model of self-esteem and self-control. Computers in Human Behavior, 38, 349-357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.06.005
• Prievara, D. K., Piko, B. F., & Luszczynska, A. (2019). Problematic internet use, social needs and social support among youth. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 17(4), 1008-1019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-9973-x
• Reiner, I., Tibubos, A. N., Hardt, J., Müller, K., Wölfling, K., & Beutel, M. E. (2017). Peer attachment, specific patterns of internet use and problematic internet use in male and female adolescents. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 26(10), 1257-1268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-017-0984-0
• Repetti, R. L., Taylor, S. E. & Seeman, T. E. (2002). Risky families: Family social environments and the mental and physical health of offspring. Psychological Bulletin Journal. 128, 330–366. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.128.2.330
• Shanahan, L., McHale, S. M., Osgood, D. W., & Crouter, A. C. (2007). Conflict frequency with mothers and fathers from middle childhood to late adolescence: Within- and between-families comparisons. Developmental Psychology, 43, 539–550. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.43.3.539
• Sela, Y., Zach, M., Amichay-Hamburger, Y., Mishali, M., & Omer, H. (2020). Family environment and problematic internet use among adolescents: The mediating roles of depression and fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behavior, 106, 106226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106226
• Smetana, J. G. (1989). Adolescents’ and parents’ reasoning about actual family conflict. Child Development, 60, 1052–1067.
• Smetana, J. G. (1995). Parenting styles and conceptions of parental authority during adolescence. Child Development, 66, 299–316. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1995.tb00872.x
• Smetana, J. G., Metzger, A., Gettman, D. C., & Campione‐Barr, N. (2006). Disclosure and secrecy in adolescent–parent relationships. Child development, 77(1), 201-217. https://doi.org/0009-3920/2006/7701-0014
• Smetana, J. G., & Rote, W. M. (2019). Adolescent–parent relationships: Progress, processes and prospects. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 1, 41-68. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121318-084903
• Soh, P. C. H., Chew, K. W., Koay, K. Y. & Ang, P. H. (2018). Parents vs peers’ influence on teenagers’ Internet addiction and risky online activities. Telematics and Informatics, 35, 1, 225-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.11.003
• Spada, M. M., & Marino, C. (2017). Metacognitions and emotion regulation as predictors of problematic internet use in adolescents. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 14(1), 59-63.
• Stalsberg, R., & Pedersen, A. V. (2010). Effects of socioeconomic status on the physical activity in adolescents: A systematic review of the evidence. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 20(3), 368-383. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01047.x
• Stead, H., & Bibby, P. A. (2017). Personality, fear of missing out and problematic internet use and their relationship to subjective well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 76, 534-540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.08.016
• Steinberg, L. (1995). Commentary: On developmental trajectories and social contexts in adolescence. In L. Crockett and N. Crouter (Eds.), Pathways through adolescence: Individual development in relation to social contexts. Hillsdale, Erlbaum.
• Steinberg, L. (2001). We know some things: Parent–adolescent relationships in retrospect and prospect. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 11(1),1-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1532-7795.00001
• Steinberg, L., Blatt-Eisengart, I., & Cauffman, E. (2006). Patterns of competence and adjustment among adolescents from authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent and neglectful homes: A replication in a sample of serious juvenile offenders. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16, 47–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532- 7795.2006.00119.x
• Valkenburg, P.M., Krcmar, M., Peeters, A.L. & Marseille, N. M. (1999). Developing a scale to assess three styles of television mediation: “Instructive mediation,” “restrictive mediation,” and “social coviewing. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 43(1),52-66. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838159909364474
• Van den Eijnden, R., Spijkerman, R., Vermulst, A., Van Rooy, T. & Engels, R. (2010). Compulsive Internet use among adolescents: Bidirectional parentchild relationships. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38, 77-89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9347-8
• Van der Giessen, Branje, S.J.T., Frijns, T. & Meeus, W.H.J. (2013). Dyadic variability in mother-adolescent interactions: Developmental trajectories and associations with psychosocial functioning Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42, 96-108, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9790-7
• Van der Giessen, D., Branje, S., Keijsers, L., Van Lier, P. A., Koot, H. M., & Meeus, W. (2014). Emotional variability during mother–adolescent conflict interactions: Longitudinal links to adolescent disclosure and maternal control. Journal of Adolescence, 37(1), 23-31. https://doit.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.10.007
• Van Doorn, M. D., Branje, S. J., Hox, J. J., & Meeus, W. H. (2009). Intraindividual variability in adolescents’ perceived relationship satisfaction: The role of daily conflict. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(6), 790-803. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9308-5
• Wuyts, D., Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., & Van Petegem, S. (2018). The role of observed autonomy support, reciprocity and need satisfaction in adolescent disclosure about friends. Journal of Adolescence, 65, 141-154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.03.012
• Yeh, K. H. (2011). Mediating effects of negative emotions in parent–child conflict on adolescent problem behavior. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 14(4), 236-245. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-839X.2011.01350.x
• You, S. & Lim, S. A. (2015). Development pathways from abusive parenting to delinquency: the mediating role of depression and aggression. Child Abuse & Neglect. 46, 152–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.05.009