As part of an examination of topics of parent-adolescent conflict, 139 biological mother-father-adolescent triads reported the three most common topics of conflict in their relationships. Using 2 analyses, results indicated that, within the context of their gender and age, adolescents differed in the topics of conflict they listed for their mothers and fathers. When listed by mothers and fathers, frequencies of the topics of parent-adolescent conflict also differed significantly with the gender and age of adolescents. Using analyses of variance, agreement for topics selected by adolescents and their parents was not better for sons versus daughters or for adolescents of a particular age group. These results demonstrated the importance of examining topics of parent-adolescent conflict, in addition to its frequency of occurrence and intensity, as a first step to understanding the dynamics of such conflict. With complete information about parent-adolescent conflicts, clinical interventions can address such conflicts adequately.
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