Study: What do families fight about most?

[New Sancai Compilation First Release] In a world where families may interact more easily with technology than with each other, some things never change.

Many people are still difficult to get along with. But what exactly are families fighting about in the 21st century?

A new survey of 593 parents with at least one child between the ages of 4 and 17 offers some clues, and the issues are all too familiar.

For couples, communication comes first. They also clash over issues such as emotions, parenting, money, and whose turn it is to take out the trash or do other household chores.

"Think about how our world's relationships have changed over the past 50 years as culture and technology have dramatically changed," said study co-author Allen Barton, assistant professor of human development and family studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana. What a change.”

"Interestingly, despite all these changes, couples still seem to argue about the same things," he added. "This suggests that there are some fundamental aspects required to maintain a romantic relationship."

Meanwhile, parents and teens are increasing their use of technology and cell phones amid traditional chores and messy room conflicts. But long-standing issues like late bedtimes, following instructions and picky eaters remain some of the biggest struggles between parents and young children.

"These struggles seem to be common across different types of families," Patton said.

In couples, women suffer more than men in communication, mood and temper, parenting, and housework. The authors say this is consistent with previous research showing that women are generally more sensitive to relationship issues than men.

“Many studies have documented the impact of conflict on family relationships, but most have looked at how conflict is managed rather than what family members are discussing,” said Noah Larsen, a graduate student in human development and family studies. .

Regarding the topic of conflict that arises in multiple family relationships, Larsen and Barton found that conflict between couples tends to be more severe than conflict between parents and children. This, they say, suggests that conflict themes have a unique intensity when they arise in a marriage or romantic relationship.

The growing conflicts between romantic partners are most noticeable around money, communication, expressing feelings, and spending time together.

"Information about common sources of conflict can help couples and families better anticipate and prepare for conflict and emphasize to families dealing with these issues that they are not alone in what they are going through," Barton said.

The findings were recently published in the Journal of Family Issues.

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)