Parental influence on Coping Strategies in Youth in Situations of Interpersonal Conflict

The goal of the study was to explore ways in which family impacts the etiology of coping strategies in youth in situations of social conflict, with focus on the parental attitudes and their patterns of reacting to situations of social conflict. The Scale of Parental Attitudes (Skala Postaw Rodzicielskich) by M. Plopa, the Questionnaire for Coping Strategies in Parents in Situations of Social Conflict (Kwestionariusz strategii radzenia sobie rodziców w sytuacji konfliktu społecznego) by D. Borecka-Biernat, and the Questionnaire for Coping Strategies in Youth in Situations of Social Conflict (Kwestionariusz do badania strategii radzenia sobie młodzieży w sytuacji konfliktu społecznego) by D. Borecka-Biernat were the tools applied in the study. The empirical study was conducted in middle schools, on a sample of 893 adolescents (468 girls and 425 boys) aged 13 to 15. In the light of the conducted research, it has been concluded that destructive (aggressive, avoidant, submissive) mechanisms of coping with emotional tension in situations of social conflict are shaped by inappropriate parental attitudes characterized by emotional distance or emotional focus of the parents on the adolescent, lack of balanced emotional bond, and high expectations accompanied by excessive discipline and strictness. Among the family-related determinants of destructive coping strategies an important role is played by the patterns of destructive (aggressive, avoidant, and submissive) coping strategies in situation of social conflict presented to the adolescents by the parents. What is more, an analysis of the research material has indicated that appropriate parental attitudes, characterized by support, respect for the adolescent’s independence and their individuality equip the young person with a constructive (task-oriented) strategy that is efficient in overcoming situations of social conflict. It has been observed that a high level of the task-oriented strategy in parents in situations of social conflict causes an increase in the level of the task-oriented strategy in youth in situations of social conflict. It appears that the obtained information can serve as theoretical guidelines in designing parenting strategies that shape individuals capable of coping with conflict in a mature way.