Emulating Parental Levels of Taking Conflict Personally: Associations with Behavioral and Mental Health Outcomes in Adult Children

ABSTRACT Taking conflict personally (TCP) is a construct that measures individuals’ tendency to perceive conflict as a personal attack and focus less on the content of a conflict. This study examined parent–child transmissions of the six dimensions of TCP, as well as the relationship between adult child TCP and their conflict communication, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Data were collected from 110 (N = 330) mother–father–child triads. The results showed significant links between father-child reports of persecuted feelings (i.e., belief that others intentionally provoke conflict) and stress reactions (i.e., psychological reaction) during conflict. There were also significant links between mother–child reports of positive and negative relational effect (i.e., belief that conflict benefits/damages relationships). Adult children’s reports of four of the six TCP dimensions were associated with their depressive symptoms and anxiety, and the results showed significant indirect effects from parent TCP to adult child verbal aggression, constructive conflict, depressive symptoms, and anxiety.

摘要 将冲突个人化（TCP）是一种衡量个体将冲突视为个人攻击且较少关注冲突内容的倾向的构念。本研究考察了TCP六个维度的亲子传递，以及成年子女的TCP与他们的冲突沟通、抑郁症状和焦虑之间的关系。数据来自110个（N = 330）母亲 - 父亲 - 子女三元组。结果显示，父子关于受迫害感（即认为他人故意挑起冲突）的报告以及冲突期间的压力反应（即心理反应）之间存在显著联系。母子关于积极和消极关系影响（即认为冲突有益于/损害关系）的报告之间也存在显著联系。成年子女对TCP六个维度中四个维度的报告与他们的抑郁症状和焦虑有关，结果显示从父母的TCP到成年子女的言语攻击、建设性冲突、抑郁症状和焦虑存在显著的间接影响。