WASHINGTON, D.C. — Whether parents and children report having a healthy, low-conflict relationship varies by certain key characteristics of the parents and children. Adolescent children have lower-quality relationships with their parents than younger children do, but their parents are less likely to view them as out of control or argue frequently with them. Married or divorced parents (compared with never-married parents) generally report higher-quality relationships, as do biological parents compared with other relatives, adoptive parents — or other arrangements. Finally, ideologically conservative parents report higher-quality and more harmonious relationships with their children compared with liberal or moderate parents.
There are few if any nationally representative surveys that collect information on parent-child relationship quality. Gallup’s work in this area is meant to provide baseline results to inform future research and better understanding about the circumstances and beliefs that drive mental health and wellbeing.
The findings on parent-child relationships, from Gallup’s 2023 Familial and Adolescent Health Survey, expand on recently published research that found social media use is high among U.S. teenagers and associated with poor mental health and less parental regulation of screen time. Another study in this series found that warm, disciplined parenting practices and high-quality parent-child relationships predict better mental health among teens.
Child’s Age, Parents’ Political Ideology Among Factors in Relationship Ratings
Gallup asked parents and caretakers to describe the overall quality of their relationship with a child from their household. For caretakers with more than one child in the household, the parent was asked to select the child with the next birthday. Response options ranged from very poor (1) to excellent (5). The majority of U.S. parents/caretakers report an excellent relationship (60%), with only 1% describing it as poor or very poor.
Both the parent’s and the child’s sex are unrelated to the parent’s assessment of the overall quality of the relationship. That is, fathers and mothers evaluate relationships with their children similarly, as do parents of girls versus boys. Measures of socioeconomic status, such as education, household income, race or ethnicity, also do not predict higher- or lower-quality relationships.
Ratings depend greatly on the age of the child, however. When talking about their toddler (aged 3 and 4), 80% of parents rate the relationship as excellent, compared with only 48% of parents asked about their teenager (aged 13-19).
Other parental characteristics are also associated with the quality of their relationships with their child, including parental marital status, genetic relatedness, and the quality of their relationship with their spouse or partner, which was asked of those in a romantic relationship.
- Biological parents are more likely to report an excellent relationship with their child (62%) than are grandparents or other family members (54%), adoptive parents (50%), or stepparents (31%).
- Additionally, parents who report a high-quality relationship with their spouse or coparent are much more likely to report an excellent relationship with their child compared with parents who report a lower-quality spousal or coparent relationship (67% versus 50%).
- Likewise, both married and divorced parents are more likely to report an excellent relationship with their child than never-married parents.
Parental political ideology is also associated with child relationship quality. Parents who self-identify as conservative, ideologically, are somewhat more likely to report having an excellent relationship with their child (65%) than those who identify as moderate (58%) or liberal (59%).
Previous work from Gallup finds that conservative parents are more likely to adopt the parenting practices that best predict youth mental health and foster high-quality relationships. The style has been described as authoritative and is characterized by warm responsiveness combined with limit-setting and discipline.
There are no differences between liberals and conservatives on the items, “I respond quickly to my child’s needs” or “I hug or kiss my child every day,” but there are large differences on items pertaining to limit-setting, such as “My child completes the priorities I set for them before they are allowed to play or relax” and “I set well-established rules for my child.” Conservative parents are significantly more likely than liberal or moderate parents to express agreement with these statements, and significantly less likely to agree with the statements, “I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to my child” and “I find it difficult to discipline my child.”
- You can learn more on the below link:
- https://news.gallup.com/poll/548381/quality-parent-child-relationships-families.aspx
Credit to : BY JONATHAN ROTHWELL