Explaining Parent-Adolescent Conflict Resolution Strategies from the Parents' Perspective: A Qualitative Study

Family is a safe place for managing the challenges of early adolescence. Adolescents try different roles and situations to find a role and situation that is more in tune with their moods. At this age, they do different things and experiment with everything to find their interests and orientations. Parent–adolescent conflict is a feature of early adolescence that plays an essential role in reshaping family relationships to support the growing needs of adolescent autonomy. The conflict between parents and adolescents is common and somewhat natural. However, the methods of conflict resolution between parents and adolescents and the conflicting behaviors that parents and adolescents engage in are related to adolescent adaptation. Some of these conflicts are between parents and adolescents, and if these challenges are not appropriately resolved, the conflict will persist, resulting in family members' disputes. The main purpose of this study was to explain the strategies for resolving parent–adolescent conflicts from the parent's perspective.

This research was a qualitative study conducted based on the objectivist grounded theory developed by Strauss and Corbin. The study's target population was parents living in Yazd City, Iran, who had conflicts with their adolescents. In the academic year 2018–2019, in coordination with the local education administration, 15 schools (seven primary high schools and eight secondary high schools) were randomly selected. Schools then introduced parents who were in conflict with their teens and needed counseling. By purposeful sampling method, 29 parents (19 mothers and 10 fathers) who had a conflict with their adolescents were selected in Yazd City. The study data were collected using a semi–structured, sound interview method. The interview sessions were held in schools. The duration of each interview varied from 45 to 60 minutes. During the interview, the conversations were recorded with the permission of the participants to collect detailed information. The obtained data were analyzed after the first interview to extract the main concepts and design new questions. The interview process continued until data saturation. Theoretical saturation was obtained after interviewing 29 parents. Microanalysis was performed at three levels of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. To evaluate the reliability and validity of qualitative data, four Guba and Lincoln (2001) validity indices (credibility, transferability, dependability, confirmability) were used.

Data analyses for conflict resolution revealed 62 concepts, 10 subcategories, and 3 main categories of passive strategies, destructive strategies, and efficient strategies. Based on the analyses of the statements, 21 concepts and 2 subcategories were included in the main category of passive strategy. The avoidance and accomodating strategies were two subcategories related to passive strategies. The concepts extracted from parents' statements related to passive strategies are named under the concepts, such as silence, neglect, sulk, frowning, taking refuge in social media, abusing of illness, withdrawal, avoidance of position, leaving home, searching intermediator, remarriage, apologizing, and putting a curse. Also, in the analysis of the statements, 21 concepts and 4 subcategories were included in the main category of destructive strategy. The cheating/mocking, hegemonic, confrontational, and repressive strategies were subcategories of destructive strategies. The concepts extracted from parents' statements related to destructive strategies are named under the concepts of intrigue, coercion, conceal, verbal aggression, bullying, disinheriting, physical aggression, chastise, self–Injury, incarceration, showing improper behavior, obstinacy, retaliating, blaming, comparing, humiliating, menace, preach, penalizing, and prohibition. In the analysis of the statements, 20 concepts and 4 subcategories were included in the main category of efficient strategies. The spiritualistic, compromising, conciliatory, and collaborating strategies are four subcategories of effective strategies. The concepts extracted from parents' statements related to efficient strategies are named taking refuge in God, rewriting the story of life, consulting, negotiating, arguing, intangible controlling, reinforcement, coacting, paying attention, behavior correction, punctuality, showing friendly behavior, showing respect, admonishing, pointing out successful ones, not prejudging, helping, correct management, making rules at home, and referring to trouble–free times.

This study showed that when a parent–adolescent conflict happens, the parties take action to resolve the conflict and achieve their goals. People's experiences, knowledge, beliefs, and values provide them with various strategies to resolve conflicts that are sometimes destructive, sometimes passive (destructive), and sometimes effective (constructive) strategies.