Facilitators of interactive problems between parents and adolescents: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION: Puberty is an important adjustment period for adolescents and their families. Moving from childhood to adulthood is associated with many behavioral and emotional changes. Many parents describe adolescence as the most difficult and anxiety-provoking period in their child’s life. The present study aimed to explore the facilitators of interactive problems between parents and adolescents that Iranian parents experience in dealing with their teenage children aged between 11 and 16 years.
METHODS: This study was conducted through qualitative content analysis. A purposive sample group of 30 parents from four healthcare systems and four school counselors from two public and two private schools in Iran- Tabriz were selected. The study took from November 2018 to January 2019. The data was collected through in-depth, semistructured, and face-to-face interviews with parents of teenage children. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed manually.
RESULTS: After eliminating similar codes in the data analysis process, 175 codes, 27 subcategories, 9 categories, and 3 themes were extracted from the parents and school counselors’ experiences regarding the facilitators of interactive problems between parents and adolescents. The three categories that emerged from the analysis were: (1) Individual context, (2) Family, and (3) society.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Parents’ perception of the factors that influence the development of problems between them and their adolescents, was categorized into three main themes: individual context, family, and social conditions. Based on the findings, these conditions should be considered when designing suitable educational programs for promoting adolescents’ health and in implementing required family and community-based interventions to prevent issues in adulthood.