Copyright 1999 by What are the most common themes of conflict between aging parents and their adult The Cerontological Society of America children? Six types emerged in a qualitative analysis of Longitudinal Study of The Gerontologist Generations survey data: conflicts over (1) communication and interaction style; (2) habits Vol. 39, No. 3, 261 -270 and lifestyle choices; (3) child-rearing practices and values; (4) politics, religion, and ideology; (5) work habits and orientations; and (6) household standards or maintenance. There were generational differences: parents most often listed conflicts over habits and lifestyle choices, whereas children cited communication and interaction style. These results suggest a new agenda for gerontological research: intergenerational conflict in the context of solidarity within aging families. Key words: Intergenerational relationships, Parent-child conflict, Aging parents, Middle-aged issues Types of Conflicts and Tensions Between Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/39/3/261/628392 by guest on 01 October 2021 Older Parents and Adult Children Edward J. Clarke, PhD,1 Mar Preston, MA,2 Jo Raksin, BA,2 and Vern L. Bengtson, PhD3 What are the principal themes of conflict between several reasons. First, conflicts in later-life families are aging parents and their adult children? Over the past often perceived as relatively unimportant, particularly decade many studies have advanced our knowledge when compared to levels of conflict reported earlier concerning cross-generational cohesion, solidarity, and in the family life course (between teenaged children exchanges of support in aging families; however, little and parents, for example). Related to this is the fact research has focused to date on conflicts in these re- that parents' reports of their relationships with their lationships. We know that conflict, as well as solidar- children tend to be more positive than their children's ity, is part of any intergenerational relationship over reports at all stages of the life course, as reflected in time (Bengtson, Rosenthal, & Burton, 1995), and that the "intergenerational stake" hypothesis (Bengtson & conflict may become a dominant theme of some ag- Kuypers, 1971; Giarrusso, Stallings, & Bengtson, 1995; ing families (Kuypers & Bengtson, 1990; Preston, Gardner, Hagestad, 1987). Almost 30 years ago, Winch (1971) Royal, & Bengtson, 1997). The purpose of this study hypothesized a life course trajectory of family rela- is to explore the dimensions of conflict in older par- tionships in which conflict in families is highest during ent-adult child relationships and to develop a typol- the adolescent years followed by more "sentimentally ogy of conflict issues from reports of both generations. colored" relationships in the later years. Even in clini- Our work, based on a community-based, nonclinical cal settings, where the therapeutic relationship encour- sample, addresses two issues: (1) What are the central ages candid disclosure, there seems to be consider- types of conflict reported between aging parents and able reluctance from older parents to report areas of midlife children? (2) Are there differences between conflict with their children (Mancini & Blieszner, 1989). older and younger generations in the types of con- A second reason that research on conflict in aging flicts reported? families remains underdeveloped concerns concept- ual and operational difficulties: What is conflict, and how can it be measured or evaluated? For example, Background of the Problem Straus (1979) notes that conflict has been used to Research on later-life family relationships has not describe three different phenomena in analyses of adequately addressed questions about conflicts for family interaction and violence: (1) the collision of in- dividuals' agendas and interests; (2) individuals' tac- tics or responses to conflicts of interest; and (3) hostil- This research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging (grant #RO1AG07977). We want to thank Drs. Jared Jobe and Ronald Abeles ity toward others. Without clear specification of the of NIA for their support of the Longitudinal Study of Generations project construct, investigations into conflict in older parent- over many years. Dr. Roseann Giarrusso is Project Director of the LSOG; she has been instrumental in providing support and encouragement for adult child relationships may obscure rather than illu- this study over time. We want also to thank Linda Hall and Deborah minate relational issues. Weisberg for technical contributions to this article. Third, most research on conflict in parent-child re- California State University, Los Angeles. 2University of Southern California, Los Angeles. lationships takes a quantitative approach—document- 3Address correspondence to Vern L. Bengtson, PhD, AARP/University ing frequency, intensity, or duration of conflict—which Professor of Gerontology, Professor of Sociology, University of Southern may mask the phenomenological, qualitative aspects California, Andrus Gerontology Center, 3715 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191. E-mail: [email protected] of relationship conflict. For example, the Conflict Vol. 39, No. 3, 1999 261 Tactics Scale (CTS), developed by Straus (1979) as a tion in 1985 when the original respondents were re- measure of intrafamily violence, is the most widely located. The now four- and five-generation families used measure of conflict within families. The CTS and involved comprise a primarily White, economically similar survey measures have provided significant in- stable, middle- and working-class sample. In 1991, the sights into the intensity of conflict between young or 20-year longitudinal response rate from the original adolescent children and their parents—from low to 2,044 respondents was 60%. Results from this study high on a unidimensional scale—and how individuals are similar to distributions from national probability within these families respond. However, this approach samples on attitudes, contact, and cohesion, as reported leaves unexamined the issues around which conflict in Acock and Bengtson (1980); Bengtson (1996); Glass, occurs, how various issues affect relationship quality, Bengtson, and Dunham (1986); Roberts and Bengtson or how such issues might predict intensity or duration (1993); and Silverstein and Bengtson (1991). of conflict. What seems lacking to date in research on families Building a Typology of Conflict Issues and aging is a clear classification scheme regarding types or issues of family conflicts. Without such a Our analysis focuses on the comments written into Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/39/3/261/628392 by guest on 01 October 2021 classification scheme to direct investigations, system- the 1991 mail-out survey (N = 1,137) by parents (G2 atic knowledge development will be difficult. children of the original grandfathers) and their (G3) In family studies involving adolescents and their adult children. The parent generation had a mean age parents, conflict has most often been used either as of 62 (N = 496) and their adult children averaged an explanatory variable or as the outcome of family 39 years (N - 641). Thus, we are examining con- interaction. As a result, family conflict is most frequently cerns expressed by a parental generation born during conceptualized as a unidimensional construct—con- the Depression years and their children who grew up flict measured as magnitude, from low to high on some influenced by the Sixties. They responded to the scale. This approach leaves the dimensions or themes following question at the end of a section of forced- of conflict unexplored. A few researchers have docu- choice items about intergenerational solidarity (see mented various components of conflict, and have in- Bengtson, 1996): vestigated multiple domains of conflict issues in par- ent-adolescent relationships (Calambos & Almeida, No matter how well two people get along, there are 1992; Montemayor, 1983; Papini & Sebby, 1988; Sme- times they disagree or get annoyed about something. In the last few years, wnat are some things on which tana, 1989). Inquiries into antecedents of child-parent you have differed, disagreed, or been disappointed relationships have also included: satisfaction with about (even if not. openly discussed) with your child others' enactment of family roles (Johnson, 1978); pa- (or parent)? rental rejection (Whitbeck, Hoyt, & Huck, 1994; Whit- beck, Simons, & Conger, 1991); parent hostility (Con- We reviewed the 1,137 returned surveys in order to ger, McCarthy, Yang, Lahey, & Kropp, 1984); unequal identify those containing comments that reflected treatment of children by parents (Bedford, 1992); ideo- conflicts or hostility toward the other generation as a logical differences (Bengtson & Kuypers, 1971); par- first step in developing the conflict typology. A word- ticipation in household chores, appearance, politeness, processed document was set up for each family into finances, and substance abuse (Calambos & Almeida, which all responses to the question were typed. Thus 1992); and parental management strategies (Dishion we could compare parents' and adult children's com- & Loeber, 1985; McCord, 1979; Miller, McCoy, Olson, ments, and sort them under various thematic head- & Wallace, 1986). However, no attempts have been ings. We printed these thematic files and used paper made to consolidate these issues into a framework that copies for analysis. will provide the basis for systematic