1. Introduction Results Methods Conclusions
Adolescent Close Friendship Conflict & Conflict Resolution as Predictors of Adult Romantic Relationship Quality & Mental Health Rachel K. Narr, Jessica Kansky, & Joseph P. Allen University of Virginia We would like to thank the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development for funding awarded to Joseph P. Allen, Principal Investigator, (R01 HD & R01-MH58066) for funding to conduct this study as well as for the write-up of this study.
Introduction
Figure 1 – Predictions of Romantic Relationship Quality (standardized β’s)
Procedures .
Time 1: Target teens and their best friends filled out questionnaires about the teen’s mental health, amount of conflict with friends, and ability to resolve conflicts.
Times 2 & 3: Target teens and their romantic partners filled out questionnaires about their relationship quality.
Time 4: Target teens filled out questionnaires about themselves and their mental health.
Measures
Conflict and Conflict Resolution
Amount of conflict between the teen and their closest friends, and teen’s ability to productively resolve conflicts with their closest friends, were measured using subscales of the Friendship Quality Questionnaire.
Romantic Relationship Quality
Romantic relationship quality was measured using the teen and their romantic partner’s combined rating of overall negativity in their relationship. Negativity was assessed using the Conflict in Relationships Scale.
Mental Health Symptoms
Overall internalizing symptoms and aggression were assessed during adolescence and adulthood using the Achenbach Youth/Adult Self Report
Symptoms of depression were assessed during adolescence and adulthood by the Child/Beck Depression Inventory.
Anxiety was assessed during adolescence by the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and during adulthood using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
Loneliness was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale.
Romantic Dyad Negativity (Target Teen and Romantic Partner Report, Ages 17-19)
Romantic Dyad Negativity (Target Teen and Romantic Partner Report, Ages 20-22)
Less Adolescent Conflict with Close Friends (Close Friend Report, Ages 14-16)
Note. *** p < ** p  * p < .05.
Full models included gender, family income, and conflict resolution ability as covariates.
Premises
Beginning in adolescence, conflict with close friends is the most common arena for conflict experiences outside of the family (Laursen, 1993), and the majority of conflicts with friends are social conflicts (Laursen, 1995).
Conflict is a normative life experience and not necessarily damaging long term; however, the salience of the potential negative aspects of disagreements (e.g., intensity, incidence, way in which resolution is reached, and final outcome) may impact mental health (Laursen & Collins, 1994) and later relationship competency (Hessel, et al., 2015).
Teens with higher levels of negative interaction and relational victimization in their closest friendships tend to have higher levels of social anxiety and depression (La Greca & Harrison, 2005).
Conflict and conflict resolution may lead to changes in affect; overall positive affect during adolescence is also related to numerous positive relationship and mental health outcomes in adulthood (Kansky et al., 2016).
Conflict with romantic partners in early adulthood predicts changes in mental health (Kansky, in preparation); however, little is known about long-term impacts on relationships or mental health of conflict with close peers during adolescence, or the ability for teens to resolve conflicts well or poorly.
Hypotheses
1. Amount of conflict and ability to resolve conflicts with closest friends during middle adolescence will predict early adult romantic relationship quality.
2. Amount of conflict and ability to resolve conflicts with close friends during middle adolescent will predict long-term changes in mental health from adolescence through adulthood
-1.13**
-0.73*
Figure 2 – Predictions of Change in Mental Health (standardized β’s)
Overall Internalizing Symptoms (Target Teen Report, Ages 25-27)
Loneliness
(Target Teen Report, Ages 25-27)
-1.26***
Anxiety Symptoms
Depression Symptoms
Aggression
-.52**
-1.12**
-.96*
-.30*
Higher Adolescent Conflict Resolution Ability (Close Friend Report, Ages 14-16)
Results
Note. *** p < ** p < * p < .05.
Full models included gender, income, amount of conflict, and baseline predictors of outcomes of interest.
Only non-change measure is Loneliness, which was not assessed in adolescence.
Analyses reveal that amount of conflict with close friends during adolescence and ability to resolve conflicts during adolescence differentially predict adult relationship and mental health outcomes. More conflict, even accounting for ability to resolve conflict, predicts higher levels of reported negativity in early adult relationships at multiple time points (p = .009; p = .034).
Conversely, ability to resolve conflict with friends during adolescence, even when accounting for overall amount of conflict and baseline symptomology, predicts positive changes in multiple domains of mental health, including overall internalizing symptoms (p < .001), depression (p = .009), anxiety (p = .002), and aggression (p = .037). It also predicts lower levels of loneliness during adulthood (p = .033).
There were no interactions between amount of conflict and ability to resolve conflict in predicting either romantic relationship quality or mental health.
We considered possible mediators of these relations (e.g., measures of interim romantic relationship quality, interim conflict resolution, young adult loneliness), but none were found to act as mediators.
Methods
Conclusions
These results indicate that how adolescents handle conflict with friends is important not only for their concurrent relationships, but may have impacts on their relationships and mental health in adulthood as well.
Conflict and conflict resolution in adolescence are differentially predictive, and likely need to be thought about independently when considering ways to help bolster adolescent relationships and skills.
Conflict resolution skills, in particular, should be considered when working with adolescents to improve their peer relationships.
Future Directions
These data should be replicated in other samples.
Long-term as well as short-term impacts of social skills programs in adolescence targeting conflict resolution should be pursued.
Participants
Multi-method, longitudinal data over 14 years from age 14 to 27
Diverse community sample of 176 adolescents and their closest friends
58% Caucasian, 29% African American, and 13% Mixed or Other ethnicity.
Mean household income: $43,471 (range $2,500 to $70,000+).
Time 1 (Age 14-16) - Target teens and closest friends
Time 2 (Age 17-19) - Target teens and romantic partners
Time 3 (Age 20-22) - Target teens and romantic partners
Time 4 (Age 25-27) – Target teens only.