Teenagers' perceptions of interparental conflict and its effects on their psychological adjustment : a Singapore study

Abstract

Interparental conflict and teenage psychological adjustment have been associated for more than a decade (e.g., Cummings & Davies, 1994; Grych & Fincham, 1993). In recent years, research in this area has advanced to examine mediating mechanisms that might influence the direct relationship between interparental conflict and psychological adjustment (e.g., Davies & Windle, 2001; Grych, Fincham, Jouriles & McDonald, 2000). Specifically, the cognitive-contextual framework proposed by Grych, Seid and Fincham (1992) has been examined by many recent researchers (e.g., Davies, Harold, Goeke-Morey & Cummings, 2002; Davies & Lindsay, 2004). The cognitive-contextual framework proposes that children’s perceptions of interparental conflict (measured through three dimensions — frequency, intensity and resolution), mediated by two other dimensions, namely self-blame and perceived threat impact on their psychological adjustment. This framework also emphasises the parent-child relationship as a contextual factor within which interparental conflict is perceived. The current study, undertaken with 147 thirteen- to fifteen-year-old teenagers from Singapore schools and one of their parents, examines Grych et al.’s (1992) framework including other protective factors such as teenage competencies and social network (full theoretical model). These protective factors were included as they have been discussed widely in resilience literature (e.g., Graham-Berman & Levendosky, 1998; Rutter, 1994; Sandler, 2001). Using a cross-sectional design and a survey methodology, standardised instruments such as the Children’s Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale (Grych et al., 1992), Youth Self Report and Child Behaviour Checklist (Achenbach, 2001), Parent-Child Closeness (Buchanan, Maccoby & Dombush, 1991), Self-Esteem Inventory (Coopersmith, 1981) and non-standardised questions were administered.Examination of the data involved cluster analyses using STATA (StataCorp, 2003), univariate and bivariate analyses using SPSS (Version 11.5) and structural equation modelling using LISREL 8.54 (Joresborg & Sorbom, 2003) The cluster analyses were necessary as the study had a multi-level structure with teenagers clustered within classes by course and level, which nested within each of four schools. The analyses indicated that the data could be collapsed as there were no significant differences between schools or courses. The remaining analyses responded to four research questions that addressed cross-cultural comparisons of teenagers’ perceptions of interparental conflict and psychological adjustment; differences between teenagers' and parents’ reports on interparental conflict and psychological adjustment; the relationship between psychological adjustment and teenagers' perceptions of interparental conflict; and the mediating effect of protective factors such as parent-child closeness, teenagers’ competencies, teenagers’ support network and vulnerability factors such as teenagers’ appraisals of self-blame and threat.The findings of the current study indicated that the perceptions of the sample of Singapore teenagers’ concerning interparental conflict and psychological adjustment differed from the Grych et al.’s (2000) and Achenbach and Rescorla's (2001) studies respectively. The teenagers in the present study reported significantly higher levels of interparental conflict and psychological maladjustment than did corresponding samples from Western studies. There were no interparental conflict differences based on gender, age, or ethnicity in a finding consistent with Dadds et al. (1999) and Lindhal and Malik (1999). In terms of psychological adjustment, differences in teenagers were found to be a function of their age and their parents’ age and vocation. Teenagers’ and parents’ reports of interparental conflict and psychological adjustment did not significantly differ. For psychological adjustment, a comparison between teenagers’ self-reports and their parents’ perceptions of their child’s adjustment varied according to the gender of the child. For males, no differences were evident. For females however, teenage girls reported significantly higher levels of internalising and externalising behaviours than were perceived by their parents. The model that best explained the relationship between interparental conflict and teenage psychological adjustment included perceived threat and parent-child closeness as mediators. The final model supports, in part, both Grych et al. (2000) and the proposed theoretical model. This study has contributed to the advancement of knowledge in this area of research by examining the relationships between interparental conflict and psychological adjustment in an Asian context, especially in a multi-ethnic country like Singapore. The findings and implications of the study are discussed with regard to practice, professional education, policies related to family life and future research within the Singapore context.