Actor-Partner Effects of Mother-Adolescent Communication and Conflict on Psychological Well-Being for Mothers and Male/Female Adolescents

Abstract

Objectives: Guided by the family systems theory (Bowen, 1966) and the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM; Cook & Kenny, 2005), this study examined the actor-partner effects of mother-adolescent communication on the psychological well-being of mothers and their adolescent children via mother-adolescent conflict and the differences between female and male adolescents.Methods: A total of 249 dyads of mothers and their adolescent children (age 13-16) in South Korea completed questionnaires on mother-adolescent communication, mother-adolescent conflict, and psychological well-being, respectively. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation, path model analysis, and multiple group analysis.Results: First, the findings showed both partial actor and partner effects of perceived mother-adolescent communication on psychological well-being through a perceived level of conflict in both male and female adolescents and mother pairs. In addition, we examined sex differences for the aforementioned indirect pathways. There were sex differences in the indirect actor effects, in that mothers’ and adolescents’ own perceived communication had differential effects on psychological well-being indirectly through perceived conflict. The indirect partner effects also differed between male and female adolescents. The results of this study are meaningful because they emphasize the bidirectionality of the relationships among these variables.Conclusion: The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the dyadic process in which mother-adolescent communication, conflict, and psychological well-being perceived by mothers and adolescents affect themselves as well as each other. This study is meaningful because the results emphasize the relationships between these variables. In utilizing a family systems approach, this study’s findings can aid in developing parent education programs, counseling interventions, and family policies that improve individuals’ psychological well-being.