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Updated: May 24, 2026
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Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Gaps, conflicts, and arguments between adolescents and their parents
1University of California at Los Angeles, USA. afuligni@ucla.edu
New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development
|March 13, 2012
Summary
Parent-adolescent conflict is common across immigrant groups, but hidden feelings may exist. Understanding acculturation gaps is key to adolescent adjustment.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Developmental Science
Background:
- Parent-adolescent conflict is a common aspect of adolescent development.
- Existing research suggests conflict frequency is similar across immigrant generations and cultural groups.
- However, the expression and underlying causes of conflict, particularly concerning acculturation, remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between acculturation gaps and parent-adolescent conflict.
- To differentiate between acculturation gaps, expressed arguments, and underlying conflictual feelings.
- To understand how family dynamics influence adolescent adjustment in Asian and Latin American immigrant backgrounds.
Main Methods:
- The study likely involved surveys or interviews with adolescents and parents from diverse cultural backgrounds.
- Methods would focus on measuring acculturation levels, conflict frequency, and emotional expression.
- Statistical analyses would be used to identify correlations and causal pathways.
Main Results:
- Parent-adolescent conflict frequency may not fully capture the depth of relational issues.
- Acculturation gaps can mask unexpressed conflictual feelings in some adolescents.
- Individual differences in how acculturation impacts conflictual feelings are not well understood.
Conclusions:
- Distinguishing between acculturation gaps, expressed conflict, and hidden feelings is crucial.
- Family relationships play a significant role in the adaptation and adjustment of immigrant adolescents.
- Further research is needed to understand the nuances of parent-adolescent relationships in diverse cultural contexts.
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