The authors examined several different predictive and mediation models of longitudinal parental inconsistency over a 3‐year time span. They hypothesized that parental behavior (communication/affection, kindness, and positive control) mediated the relationship between parental inconsistency (mother or father) and two emotional problems in children: (a) aggression and (b) depression. Data were obtained from a 3‐wave study (2007, 2008, and 2009) of 523 Spanish families with children ranging from 9–15 years of age at the beginning of Wave 1 (41.3% boys). Structural equation models revealed that multiple dimensions of parenting (mother or father) fully or partially mediated the relationship between longitudinal parental inconsistency and the child's adjustment. Communication/affection and kindness are the main processes through which parental inconsistency affects a child's aggression and depression. These results represent an important contribution to the improvement of parenting models of relationships between parental inconsistency and child adjustment.

Resumen: El presente estudio analiza la relación entre la inconsistencia interparental de los hábitos de crianza y la presencia de conductas agresivas y depresivas en una muestra de 1159 sujetos (45.3 % varones) de edades comprendidas entre 8 y 17 años. Los resultados muestran que los sujetos procedentes de hogares inconsistentes en control, hostilidad y comunicación, mostraron más conductas agresivas y depresivas que los sujetos de hogares consistentes. La inconsistencia en las estrategias de control interparental fue la variable que en mayor medida predijo las alteraciones estudiadas. No apareció un patrón específico de inconsistencia ligado a la agresión o la sintomatología depresiva del niño, sin embargo, la inconsistencia interparental se asoció especialmente con la primera.Palabras clave: Prácticas de crianza, consistencia o concordancia interparental, ajuste emocional, agresión, depresión. Interparental consistency and its relationship to aggression and depression in children and adolescents.Abstract: This study analyses the relationship between interparental rearing inconsistency and the presence of aggressive and depressive behaviour in a sample of 1159 subjects (45,3% male) between 8 and 17 years of age. The results show that subjects from families with rearing inconsistency in control, hostility and communication showed significantly more aggressive and depressive behaviours than subjects from families with interparental consistency. Parents´ control inconsistency was the best predictor of the alterations studied. Although no specific pattern of inconsistency associated with child aggression or depressive symptoms was found, interparental inconsistence appeared especially associated with them.