Adolescent adjustment following divorce as a function of familial conflict

Assessed the effect of continued familial conflict on the adjustment and self-concept of 150 adolescents (mean age 16.63 yrs), as assessed by a battery that included the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Ss were divided according to family background (intact vs divorced), sex, and conflict (high vs low). Results indicate that high conflict produced lower self-esteem, greater anxiety, and less feeling of control regardless of whether family dissolution occurred and that low conflict did not differentially affect adjustment even if the S experienced divorce. (7 ref)