Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Adjustment: A Narrative Review of Bidirectional Pathways

Abstract

Adolescent research has traditionally focused on adolescent adjustment outcomes in the context of interparental conflict, rather than jointly examining predictive relationships between adolescent adjustment and the interparental dynamic. Given that sub-systems within the family are interwoven in reciprocal relationships, examination of these more complex pathways serves to inform developmental research in both the areas of adolescent adjustment and family wellbeing. Utilizing a family systems framework, this narrative review examines bidirectional pathways, including adolescent psychological adjustment effects on interparental conflict and conflict-driven effects on adolescent adjustment. In doing so, the lifespan and contextual factors of parenting an adolescent are examined, for which evidence suggests that pubertal development of the adolescent, adolescent adjustment, and the lifespan timing of interparental relationships may pose unique risks for interparental conflict. Interparental conflict pathways exacerbating adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems are also examined. Mediational factors, such as cognitive-contextual variables, are reviewed. Finally, evidence for bidirectional spillover, triangulation, and developmental cascades is evaluated, and future recommendations issued, including the need to emphasize the bidirectional pathways and other relevant moderating factors linking interparental conflict and adolescent psychosocial functioning.