The perception of adolescents’ inter-parental conflict and accompanied emotional security: A descriptive study

Fatma M Elemary,Dianne Wynaden,Omar Al Omari

doi:10.5430/jnep.v6n5p84

Abstract

How Egyptian adolescents respond to their parents’ inter-parental conflict is relatively unexplored. This descriptive study was completed with adolescents to determine their perceptions of inter-parental conflict and the impact of this on their level of emotional security. Two hundred students from Zagazig city in Egypt aged between 13 and 17 years completed the “Children’s perception of inter-parental conflict scale” and “Security in the inter-parental system scale”. The findings showed that when adolescents witnessed inter-parental conflict they felt scared, sad, emotionally charged or unable to stop thinking about the conflict that they had witnessed. However, participants were unprepared to assist in trying to solve their parents’ conflict. Nurses need to be aware of the negative impact that inter-parental conflict may have on adolescents in their care. Interventions should focus on the preservation of the adolescent’s emotional security to prevent negative psychosocial effects occurring in the future.

Highlights

How Egyptian adolescents respond to their parents’ inter-parental conflict is relatively unexplored
Adolescents in Egypt live with their parents The impact of inter-parental conflict on adolescents depends and some may regularly witness inter-parental conflict.[2] on whether the parents used constructive or destructive techConflict is defined as any disagreement, difference and argu- niques to solve their conflict.[8]
Inter-parental that can determine the consequences of inter-parental conconflict is complex and multifaceted construct as it includes flict on adolescents and their parents: frequency, intensity, any differences of opinions, whether it is negative or positive content, resolution, explanation given to the child, child between parents.[4,5]

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Plays of anger and hostility or constructive conflict which depicts good role modeling and the use of problem-solving. The emotional security model provides an explanation as to why some adolescents from environments with inter-parental naire: Cronbach’s alpha for CPIC were 0.863 and SISS were 0.829, which reflects an acceptable level.[28]. The inclusion criteria were: withdrawal), and interpersonal appraisals.[18,19] (1) to be students from the selected schools; (2) aged between destructive inter-parental conflict disrupts this learning and 13 and 17 years; and (3) willing to participate and commit may lead to the adolescent displaying negative emotions and 20 minutes to complete the two questionnaires. The second category is threat and this inter-parental conflict and the impact on their emotional secu- consists of two sub-scales: Perceived threat (6 items) and rity.

METHODS

RESULTS

Security in the inter-parental system scale

DISCUSSION