Adolescence is regarded as a period in which difficulties in family communication and an increase in confrontations between parents and children take place. We set out to understand how adolescents evaluate the frequency and quality of the communication they establish with their parents and siblings. 295 youngsters were investigated, 141 males and 154 females, ages ranging between 11 and 16 years old. A questionnaire was administered, with simple choice closed questions which aimed to evaluate the communication of the adolescent with differents members of the family. Results point at the mother as the most sought out person for conversation (49,8%), followed by the eldest sibling (17,6%) and then the father (12,2%) and the youngest sibling (2,4%). Data reflect a family structure in which the mother appears as the main responsible for care and mediation of the familiar relationships, whereas the father occupies a more peripheral place. The adolescents report a good level of communication at home and 96% of them evaluate family communication as very important.
communication; family; adolescence