Parental Distress Tolerance in the Face of Adolescent Problems: A Qualitative Study

Authors : Ayşe Akyıldız, Burak Akyıldız

Pages : 164-178

View : 67 | Download : 67

Publication Date : 2024-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: This research examines how parents tolerate the psychological distress (PD) of their adolescent children. In particular, the study explores what kinds of PD adolescents experience, what factors affect parents’ tolerance of their children’s PD, how they appraise their responses to their children\\\'s PD, how they cope with the emotions arising from their children\\\'s PD, and how they manage their attention in this process. Method: The study used qualitative research methods and semi-structured interviews with ten parents. The interviews with participants identified through purposive and snowball sampling were conducted via video conference. In the interviews, we used five questions inspired by the theoretical conceptualization of distress tolerance. The study used deductive and inductive methods and analyzed data along four sub-factors of distress tolerance. Results: Participants reported that their children experienced distress related to technology use, self-regulation, social relationships, family communication, exposure to bullying, negative body perception, and academic problems. Distress, parent, and child-related factors affect parents\\\' tolerance towards these problems. Inadequacy, regret, or positive comments are prominent in parents\\\' self-appraisal. Acceptance of distress, taking time for themselves, seeking support, thinking about the problem until it is solved, and crying are the methods of regulation used by parents. Finally, while some parents are absorbed in rumination and worry, others may use avoidant or flexible attention. Conclusion: Considering the impact of parental DT on children\\\'s emotional development, we believe that interventions to support parental DT are crucial. However, it is seen that there are not enough studies on parental DT in the literature, and the studies that have been conducted have mainly been performed on clinical samples. Thus, we consider that the results of this study will be helpful to for parental DT research to be conducted on non-clinical samples and for interventions to improve parental DT.
Keywords : Psikolojik sıkıntı, Ebeveyn sıkıntı toleransı, Ergenlik dönemi