Family Conflicts, Parent–Child Relationships, and Subjective Well‐Being in Parent–Adolescents: An
APIMeM
Analysis
Ju Huang, Yingzi Jiang, Weiwei Jiang, Ke Huang, Xin Liao, Jialin Xiao, Xinli Chi ABSTRACT
Objective
This study examines the associations among family conflicts (FCs), parent–child relationships (PCRs), and subjective well‐being (SWB) within parent–adolescent dyads.
Background
Family dynamics shape the psychological well‐being of both adolescents and parents, yet how these influences unfold within family dyads remains unclear.
Method
Using the Actor‐Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM), this study analyzed 5199 Chinese parent–adolescent dyads.
Results
At the individual level, higher perceived FCs and lower quality of PCRs were associated with lower SWB in both adolescents and parents. At the dyadic level, adolescents' perceived FCs were associated with their own SWB through the mediating role of parents' perceptions of PCRs. Although adolescents' and parents' perceived FCs did not directly predict each other's SWB, they indirectly predicted partner SWB through PCRs. Specifically, parents' perceived FCs indirectly influenced adolescents' SWB through both parents' and adolescents' perceptions of PCRs. Moreover, adolescents' perceived FCs indirectly predicted parents' SWB via parents' perceptions of PCRs.
Conclusion
PCRs serve as an important mediating mechanism linking FCs to SWB within parent–adolescent dyads.
Implications
These findings underscore the importance of PCRs for adolescents' and parents' SWB and suggest that family research and interventions should consider both perspectives.