Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2025

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
How does interparental conflict affect adolescent preference-for-solitude? Depressive symptoms as mediator at
Kejun Zheng1, Robert J Coplan2, Zhaojun Teng3
1Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University.
Abstract:
This 3-year longitudinal study explored the mediating role of depressive symptoms in the relations between interparental conflict (IPC) and preference-for-solitude (PFS). Participants were 1,039 Chinese adolescents (53.9% boys) between 11 and 15 years old (MT1 = 12.37, SD = .58). Data were collected at three time points and included maternal reports of IPC, adolescent reports of depressive symptoms, peer nominations of PFS. Results from multilevel mediation analyses indicated that at both the between- and within-person levels, statistically significant indirect effects were found for depressive symptoms as a mediator of the relation between IPC and PFS. That is, elevated IPC predicted adolescent increased depressive symptoms, which in turn, were associated with heightened PFS. As well, within a given adolescent, higher frequencies of IPC were a significant positive predictor of depressive symptoms for that adolescent, and in turn, changes in depressive symptoms were positively associated with changes in PFS over time. These findings highlight the influence of IPC on early adolescents' maladaptive outcomes over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Related Concept Videos
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Cognitive Development During Adolescence
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adolescence

