Identity Status and Parent-Adolescent Conflict Among Early Adolescents

The purpose of the present study was to explore identity-status as it relates to parent-adolescent conflict and physical development during early adolescence. The sample was composed of 357 early adolescents in grades six, seven, and eight in four schools in Ohio. Identity status was assessed through the Revised Extended Version of Grotevant and Adams (1984) Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status Instrument using the interpersonal identity domains. The Issues Checklist (Prinz et. al., 1979) was used to identify frequency of conflict, issues typically causing conflict and the intensity of conflict in parent-early adolescent relationships. Pubertal status was ascertained via self-reported estimates of height change and body comparison to peers in the current and prior year, as well as age.Almost half of the early adolescents in the present study (45%) could not be classified into a distinct identity status, thereby reflecting either emergent or transitional identity status development. The majority of the adolescents who could be classified (34%) expressed diffusion and foreclosure statuses. In all, 79% of the sample exhibited less sophisticated decision making modes reflecting the developmental process of identity formation in this age group. Adolescents reported an average of 17 issues that potentially created conflict in their relationships with parent(s), with most (over 60%) revolving around household chores and family obligations. The most intense conflicts involved sibling rivalry, privacy, friendships, punctuality, and talking back to parents. Early adolescents who were categorized into the least sophisticated identity statuses, diffusion and foreclosure, reported a greater number and more intense conflicts with parents. Significant relationships were found between frequency and intensity of conflict and the identity statuses of foreclosure and moratorium. Finally, pubertal growth changes were found to be significantly related to identity status and the intensity of parent-adolescent conflicts.The findings of this investigation provided preliminary support for the proposition that physical changes in puberty are potential contributors to changes in parent-early adolescent relationships and serve as a catalyst for initial identity activity among early adolescents.