Characterization of parent-adolescent communication: a study of socio-demographic variables

Parent-adolescent communication seems to depend largely of some socio-demographic characteristics. The main goal of this research is the analysis of parent-adolescent perception about their communication considering some socio-demographic variables: sex, residence, socioeconomic status, education and family composition. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used to analyze the perception of 336 parents and 268 children about the quality of communication using the Perception Scale of Parenting Communication.: It was revealed that: boys tend to share their problems mostly with fathers; mothers have better perception of communication; there weren't statistical differences on communicational conflict in the sex variable; members of high socioeconomic classes and urban contexts have better perception about communication; and adolescents of post-divorce families tend to share their problems mostly with mothers than adolescents of intact nuclear families. Considering the influence of some socio-demographic variables on parent-adolescent communication, it is possible design concrete clinical interventions. It suggests the need to pay attention to particular contexts (rural places and low socioeconomic classes). These results demystify the belief that post-divorce families have more difficulties than nuclear intact families.