Background/Objectives: Interparental conflict, with its multiple dimensions,
represents a risk factor for youth mental health, triggering a series of cascading processes.
Despite recent evidence highlighting that psychological inflexibility is a risk factor for
adolescents’ psychopathology after stressful events, a limited number of studies have
investigated its role in family conflicts. This study aims to investigate whether psychological
inflexibility mediates the impact of conflict characteristics (intensity, frequency,
and resolution) and threat appraisal of interparental conflict on the psychological difficulties
of adolescent offspring. Methods: A sample of 195 adolescents aged between 15
and 19 years old completed the Children’s Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale, the
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for
Youth on Google Forms. Results: The findings revealed that adolescents living in a family
environment characterized by high levels of perceived interparental conflicts exhibit a wide
spectrum of psychological difficulties, either emotional or behavioral, partially mediated by
their psychological inflexibility. However, when conflict between parents is interpreted as
threatening, adolescents’ inflexibility appears to mediate the relationship between conflict
and psychological difficulties. Conclusions: While future studies are needed to better
understand this association, psychological flexibility might represent a relevant treatment
target in adolescents exposed to interparental conflict.
