Adolescents in Conflict: Associations between Gender Socialization, Gender Conflict, and Well-being.

Abstract

Although gender beliefs play an important role in shaping adolescents’ mental health and risk behavior, little is known about the development of such beliefs or the role that parents play in gender socialization. Qualitative accounts suggest that parental messages are varied and often inconsistent, but no instruments exist that allow for a systematic examination of message content or the nature of such inconsistencies. Further, little is known about the impact of receiving conflicting socialization on gender conflict – internalizing conflicting gender expectations. Accordingly, the aim of the current work was to develop ways to quantitatively assess gender socialization and gender conflict and to test for connections to mental health and risk behavior among adolescents. The first study used a sample of 272 undergraduates to validate a Gender Socialization Scale that measured eight socialization discourses such as being nice, being tough, and traditional gender roles. A sample of 291 undergraduates was used to develop a Gender Conflict Scale that measured participants’ perceptions of conflicting gender role expectations. The second study used the same sample to expand the Gender Socialization Scale to include discourses pertaining to gendered expectations in sexual situations, such as abstinence and the sexual double standard. Results from this study showed that receiving some types of conflicting messages was linked with increased gender conflict, which, in turn, was associated with depression, anxiety, body dissatisfaction and a greater number of sexual partners. Finally, using a sample of 259 high school students, results from the third study linked receiving conflicting socialization with increased gender conflict for younger adolescents. Associations between socialization, gender conflict, gender attitudes, and outcomes were then simultaneously modeled using SEM. Socialization messages about gender predicted adolescents’ own gender beliefs, but neither construct was related to outcomes. Abstinence communication, however, was associated with less sexual risk and substance use, whereas communication endorsing the sexual double standard was related to more risk. Receiving messages regarding the sexual double standard was also associated with increased gender conflict, which was related to anxiety, depression, and body dissatisfaction. However, receiving messages promoting egalitarian gender roles was associated with a decrease in gender conflict.