From Resolving to Honoring Political Differences: A Focus Group Study Examining Ways of Coping with Parent-Adolescent Conflicts amid the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Bill Movement in 2019-2020

Background and Purpose: The Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Bill Movement in 2019-2020 had provoked stark political divisions, which triggered tensions between parents and children. Since the majority of adolescents and young adults in Hong Kong are residing with their parents, such co-residence may further intensify the intergenerational tensions. This qualitative study examines: (1) the impact of conflicts stemming from the Movement on parent-adolescent relationships; and (2) the coping strategies parents and adolescents employed to cope with their intergenerational conflicts amid the Movement among Chinese families in Hong Kong.

Methods: The sample consists of 10 Chinese parents and 6 Chinese adolescents who participated in a 4-hour semi-structured focus group interview. Participants were recruited via social media and community networks. The interviews focused on participants’ perceived impact of the Movement on their families, and experience of political disagreement with their parents or children. The mean age of parents and adolescents is 47.2 (SD = 5.67 years) and 17.83 (SD = 2.71 years), respectively. The majority of parents (80%) and adolescents (66.67%) are females. The interviews were videotaped, audiotaped and fully transcribed. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the transcribed verbatim. For this presentation, only the data related to how Chinese parents and adolescents coped with their conflicts and managed their relationships amid the Movement were analyzed.

Findings: As indicated from the participants’ verbatim, parent-adolescent conflicts were particularly pronounced on five issues, namely, political participation [n = 7], physical violence as a strategy in the Movement [n = 3], police brutality [n = 3], authenticity of media information [n = 3], and emigration [n = 3]. With few exceptions [n = 3], conflicts did not create intense adverse impacts on the parent-adolescent relationships [n = 7]. Three main conflict coping themes were identified: (1) exerting influence on others [n = 12], (2) restricted political discussion [n = 7], (3) connecting to each other respectfully [n = 13], and (4) accepting influence from others [n = 5]. Of these, restricted political discussion (e.g., political topic avoidance, expressing a desire not to talk about politics) and connecting to each other respectfully (e.g., respectful relating and acceptance of differences, perspective taking, prioritizing family) were more helpful than exerting influence on others (e.g., justification, giving advice, trying to change others’ political opinions, simple proposition) in maintaining or restoring the parent-adolescent relationships. Commitment to permanently disengage from family was not observed in our study.

Conclusion and Implications: Although there were many intergenerational conflicts arising from the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Bill Movement, their disruptive impacts on Chinese parent-adolescent relationships could be lessened by restricting political discussion and connecting to each other respectfully. Present findings also suggest that people who attempt to resolve political differences between with their parents or children might not be making the healthiest choice for their relationships. Implications for counseling include honoring political differences to sustain family relationships. Directions for future research on family conflicts in face of the increasing turbulent and divisive political landscape are discussed.