The Role of Agreeableness, Neuroticism, and Relationship-Specific Features in Self- and Other-Perceptions of Conflict Frequency in Adolescent Relationships with Parents and Peers

Abstract

AbstractConflict frequency in adolescence has been linked to personality and relationship-specific features. However, an integrative investigation of both aspects is lacking. To address this gap, this study used data from 571 individuals in middle adolescence (Study 1; Mage = 15.86, SD = 1.23; 75.8% female) and 233 individuals in late adolescence (Study 2; Mage = 17.17, SD = 1.01; 75.5% female) in Germany, including participants’ self-reports on conflict frequency and other-reports provided by parents and peers. Across studies, multigroup models revealed that adolescents’ level of neuroticism predicted self- and other-perceived conflict frequency in parent and peer relationships more consistently than agreeableness, while providing no evidence for an interplay between both personality traits. Furthermore, relationship-specific features differentially accounted for individual differences in conflict frequency across relationship types, such that in adolescents’ relationships with parents, lower relationship quality related to more frequent conflicts. In peer relationships, higher contact frequency was linked to more frequent conflicts. The present findings highlight the contributions of both personality and relationship-specific features to conflict frequency in adolescence and offer practical guidance for the improvement of adolescents’ and their relationship partners’ social skills and experiences. All research questions, hypotheses, and analyses of this research were preregistered at the OSF and can be retrieved from: https://osf.io/xmvqd/.