Parent-adolescent conflict has been studied around the world, emphasizing the importance of the impacts it may have on psychological functioning in families. This study examined parent-adolescent conflict, in the context of a cultural variable that may present differences in relationships. Data from the Parenting Across Cultures research project were used to test the relationships between child well-being and parental-conflict outcomes, as well as the same conflict outcomes on later adolescent depression. The sample contained 1,338 participants (49.7% female, 50.3% male; ages 13-14 years). Data was used from eight countries on five continents. Statistical associations between variables were tested using Pearson's R correlations. Results indicated significant association between child well-being at age 13 and parent-adolescent conflict at age 14 within all conflict outcome categories. Additionally, testing for the relationship between parent-adolescent conflict and later adolescent depression provided significant results for negative conflict outcomes of escalation and frustration. In contrast, relationship intimacy was not significant. Finally, data were organized into country-level categories based on either being primarily an individualistic or collectivist culture, and then tested for significance of father-adolescent conflict outcomes on adolescent depression. Results indicated a significant relationship between intimacy and frustration outcomes within collectivist cultures, while results for all three categories of father-adolescent conflict within individualist cultures were nonsignificant. Results from this study could be used to better individualize our understanding of the effects of parenting styles in different cultural settings, as well as support ideas on how parenting styles may differ in effectiveness for mothers versus fathers.
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