Using a daily diary method, this study examined concurrent and time-lagged relations between marital and parent-child relationship qualities, providing a test of the spillover and compensatory hypotheses. Additionally, this study tested both mothers’ and fathers’ depressive symptoms as moderators of these daily linkages. Participants were 203 families, in which mothers and fathers completed daily diaries for 15 days. At the end of each reporting day, parents independently rated the emotional quality of their relationship with their spouse and with their child that day. Controlling for global levels of marital satisfaction, marital conflict, and parenting, a positive association was found between mothers’ and fathers’ daily ratings of marital quality and their ratings of parent-child relationship quality, supporting the spillover hypothesis. When considering time-lagged relations, support was found for the compensatory hypothesis for mothers: lower levels of marital quality were related to increases in mother-child relationship quality from one day to the next. Further, both maternal and paternal depressive symptoms moderated the link between marital quality and the other parent’s relationship quality with their child. Whereas maternal depressive symptoms strengthened spillover relations for fathers on the next day, paternal depression was related to less spillover for mothers on the same day. Alternative models did not find evidence for parent-child relationship quality as a predictor of changes in marital quality on the next day. The findings underscore the importance of the quality of the marital relationship for predicting the quality of other family relationships.

Extending research based on newlywed couples, this study investigated longitudinal associations between marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms in a community sample of 296 couples in established relationships (M = 13.25 years, SD = 5.98) with children (M age = 11.05 years, SD = 2.31). Support was found for reciprocal relations between marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms in couples with established relationships. Further extending previous work, the study showed that relationship length and hostile marital conflict were significant moderators of these linkages. Husbands in longer term relationships were more vulnerable to depressive symptoms in the context of marital problems compared with husbands in shorter term relationships. At higher levels of marital conflict, the negative relationship between marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms was strengthened. Reflecting an unexpected finding, increased conflict buffered spouses from marital dissatisfaction in the context of depressive symptoms.

Whereas parental involvement is consistently linked with positive child outcomes throughout development, parental involvement that is not developmentally appropriate and intrusive--a style of parenting called helicopter parenting--can be problematic for their child’s adjustment and well-being. Helicopter parenting can be particularly harmful during emerging adulthood when young adults are working toward developmental goals of self-reliance and autonomy. The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in the relation between helicopter parenting and autonomy support on college students’ mental health and well-being. A secondary aim was to explore the extent to which there were ethnic differences (non-Hispanic White vs. Hispanic) in associations between parenting and college students’ outcomes. We examined several domains of mental health, including dysphoria symptoms, social anxiety, and general well-being. A sample of 118 undergraduate students (Mage = 19.82 years, SD = 1.38; 83.1% female; 57% European American) completed measures of parenting and mental health and well-being. The results showed that higher levels of helicopter parenting predicted lower levels of well-being for females, whereas higher levels of autonomy support predicted lower levels of dysphoria symptoms and social anxiety among males. No ethnic differences were found. The findings highlight that parents’ behavior continues to predict their child’s well-being even in emerging adulthood, and that parenting may differentially predict male and female college students’ mental health outcomes.

Relations between marital aggression (psychological and physical) and children's health were examined. Children's emotional insecurity was assessed as a mediator of these relations, with distinctions made between marital aggression against mothers and fathers and ethnicity (African American or European American), socioeconomic status, and child gender examined as moderators of effects. Participants were 251 community-recruited families, with multiple reporters of each construct. Aggression against either parent yielded similar effects for children. Children's emotional insecurity mediated the relation between marital aggression and children's internalizing, externalizing, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. No differences were found in these pathways for African American and European American families or as a function of socioeconomic status or child gender. Keywords marital aggression; emotional security theory; child health; child adjustment; PTSD Children's exposure to marital aggression is a recognized public health problem (National Institutes of Health [NIH], 2003, PAR-03-096), and the examination of the effects of such aggression on child functioning is a significant societal concern. Marital conflict is broadly defined as any difference of opinion, whether minor or major and whether primarily positive or negative. Marital conflict can take many forms, including displays of both positive and negative emotions and constructive (e.g., problem-solving) and destructive (e.g., physical assault) tactics. Thus, marital aggression, characterized by physical and/or psychological abuse, is at the negative extreme of a continuum of marital conflict (Cummings, 1998 considered by some to be psychological abuse, whereas marital physical violence indicates physical assault on a partner's body (Jouriles, Norwood, & McDonald, 1996). Marital psychological/verbal and physical aggression is prevalent in U.S. families (NIH, 2003, PAR-03-096) and is associated with adverse child outcomes in externalizing (Jouriles, Murphy, & O'Learey, 1989), internalizing (Marks, Glaser, Glass, & Horne, 2001), and posttraumatic stress disorder domains (Kilpatrick & Williams, 1997).High levels of spousal physical violence typically co-occur with psychological abuse (Stets, 1990), with psychological abuse almost always preceding physical violence in the relationship (O'Leary, Malone, Tyree, 1994). Furthermore, marital psychological abuse may account for additional unique variance in child functioning after controlling for the effects of physical aggression (Jouriles et al., 1996), highlighting the importance of examining multiple aspects of marital aggression.This study addresses not only the sequelae of marital physical violence on child functioning but also the effects of the more prevalent psychological and emotional marital abuse (Marshall, 1992). Moving beyond the examination of the effects of marital aggression and violence on child witnesses in battered women shelters and clinical settings, this study focuses on a commu...

Consistent with developmental cascade notions, the present study investigated (a) associations between trajectories of interparental conflict and early externalizing problems during childhood and (b) early trajectories of externalizing problems as a pathway by which interparental conflict impacts children's social competence in preadolescence. Participants were 235 children and their parents and teachers. Children were assessed annually for 3 years, beginning when they were in kindergarten. Parents provided reports of interparental conflict and child externalizing problems. Children's social competence (prosocial behavior, social problems) was assessed approximately 5 years later via parent and teacher reports. Results from parallel process models indicated that changes in interparental conflict were positively associated with changes in externalizing problems during childhood. Further, demonstrating pathways consistent with notions of developmental cascades, early trajectories of externalizing problems accounted for the longitudinal link between early trajectories of interparental conflict and children's social problems in preadolescence.Interparental conflict has emerged as a robust predictor of children's externalizing behavior problems (e.g., Cummings, Goeke-Morey, & Papp, 2004; Cummings, Iannotti, ZahnWaxler, 1985;El-Sheikh et al., 2009;Shelton & Harold, 2008). Few studies, however, have examined how changes in interparental conflict during childhood are related to trajectories of early externalizing behavior problems. Further, research supports that both interparental conflict and children's early externalizing problems are linked with later social functioning. Therefore, empirical studiesto date suggest the possible appropriateness of conceptualizing the effect of interparental conflict on children's long-term socioemotional outcomes in terms of a developmental cascade model.Developmental cascade models posit that early levels and changes in functioning in one domain impact later functioning in a different domain. Propositions consistent with the notion of developmental cascades have been commonly proposed in developmental research, including the development of cognitive and language abilities (Colom, Escorial, Shih, & Privado, 2007; Domsch, Lohaus, & Thomas, 2009; Gregory, Marchman, & Fernald, 2008; Nettelbeck, Howard, & Wilson 2009), and relations between psychosocial functioning and later academic success, substance use, and mental health (e.g., Mason, Hitchings, McMahon, & Spoth, 2007;Masten et al., 2005;Oesterle, Hill, Hawkins, & Abbott, 2008;Schwartz, Gorman, Duong, & Nakamoto, 2008). Extending research on the longitudinal associations between interparental conflict and children's adjustment, and consistent with a Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Chrystyna D. Kouros, Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; chrystyna.kouros@vanderbilt.edu. Concurrent associations between interparental conflict and child adjustment problems have bee...