Multi-Group Structural Equation Modeling of Adolescent Externalizing Problems Based on Interparental Conflict, Emotional Insecurity, Parent–Adolescent Attachment, and Family Cohesion

Karim Fahmy; Daniel Chen; Petar Ivanov

Authors

Karim Fahmy Department of Clinical Psychology, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt Author https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4577-3123
Daniel Chen Department of Psychology and Consulting, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0138-3089
Petar Ivanov Department of Developmental Psychology, Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3992-8232

Keywords:

Adolescent Externalizing Problems, Interparental Conflict, Emotional Insecurity, Parent–Adolescent Attachment, Family Cohesion

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the structural relationships of interparental conflict, emotional insecurity, parent–adolescent attachment, and family cohesion with adolescent externalizing problems and to determine whether these relationships differed between male and female adolescents.

Methods and Materials: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among 684 adolescents aged 13–18 years enrolled in public secondary schools in Toronto, Canada, during the 2025–2026 academic year. Participants were selected using multistage cluster sampling and included 332 boys and 352 girls. Data were collected using the Children’s Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale, Security in the Interparental Subsystem Scale, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales IV, and Youth Self-Report. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group covariance-based structural equation modeling. Configural, metric, scalar, and strict measurement invariance were examined before comparing structural paths across gender groups. Indirect effects were tested using bias-corrected bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples.

Findings: The structural model demonstrated good fit, χ²(548) = 1012.74, χ²/df = 1.85, CFI = .952, TLI = .947, RMSEA = .035, and SRMR = .044. Interparental conflict significantly predicted greater emotional insecurity, weaker parent–adolescent attachment, lower family cohesion, and higher externalizing problems in both groups. Emotional insecurity positively predicted externalizing problems, whereas attachment and cohesion showed significant negative effects. The direct effect of interparental conflict on externalizing problems was stronger among boys (β = .25) than girls (β = .12, p = .026), whereas the effects of interparental conflict on emotional insecurity and emotional insecurity on externalizing problems were stronger among girls. All three indirect effects were significant. The model explained 48% and 53% of the variance in externalizing problems among boys and girls, respectively.

Conclusion: Adolescent externalizing problems appear to be embedded in interconnected family processes, with interparental conflict exerting both direct and indirect associations through emotional insecurity, attachment, and family cohesion.

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References

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