What Decides the Well-Being of the Relationship between Parents and Adolescents

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 26;20(1):383. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010383.

Abstract

The literature indicates a variety of factors that contribute to adolescent well-being: among these, the parent-adolescent relationship has a key role. The present article offered an overview of studies on parent-adolescent relationships across diverse family forms, not limited to the traditional family but also including "non-traditional" and "modern" families. To do so, this article described the evolution of the concept of family over the last fifty years and traced the significant family variables that guarantee adolescent well-being. Additionally, this article discussed the changes that occurred in family research, shifting from studies that considered only the family structure to more recent studies that investigated family processes and contextual factors. Overall, the reviewed studies indicated that the quality of parent-adolescent relationship, the interparental conflict and the consequent spillover effect on the child subsystem, and the changes in the economic situation following parental separation/divorce override the effect of the family structure. Finally, this article pointed out the need to examine, in the future research, adolescent well-being across diverse families by adopting more fine-grained methodologies, collecting data from the entire family system, and using a multi-method assessment to obtain a more ecological view of family complexity.

Keywords: adolescent well-being; co-parenting; complexity; families; family; new family forms; parent–adolescent relationship; protective and risk factors.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Health
  • Child
  • Divorce*
  • Family Conflict*
  • Family Structure
  • Humans
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Parenting

Grants and funding

The article is included in a University Project funded in 2018 by Sapienza University of Rome, entitled “The multiple physiognomies of the current family: structure or process?” (Protocol number: RP11816436AF79FF). The Project envisaged the realization of a Conference entitled “The FAMILY TODAY: family structure or quality of emotional relationships?”, which took place on 31 March 2022 at the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. The article used ideas from the report presented at the conference, which have not previously been published. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily state or reflect those of Sapienza University of Rome.