A Mediational Model of the Impact of Marital Conflict on Adolescent Adjustment in Intact and Divorced Families: The Role of Disrupted Parenting

Fauber, Robert L.; Forehand, Rex; Thomas, Amanda M.; Wierson, Michelle

doi:10.2307/1130879

Cited by 304 publications

(121 citation statements)

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“…Items on each of the five-item subscales were rated on 5-point Likert scales ranging from 1 ( never ) to 5 ( always ). The subscales have satisfactory internal consistency and previous research has supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the measures (Fauber, Forehand, Thomas, &Wierson, 1990). Internal consistency coefficients among the three CRPBI scales in this sample were adequate for mothers (αs = .66 – 71 at Wave 1 and .63 –68 at Wave 2) and fathers (α= .70 –.75 at Wave 1 and .73 –.80 at Wave 3).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 61%

A process analysis of the transmission of distress from interparental conflict to parenting: Adult relationship security as an explanatory mechanism.

Davies

Sturge‐Apple

Woitach

et al. 2009

Developmental Psychology

124

122

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Towards advancing conceptualizations of the spillover hypothesis, this study examined the conditions and mechanisms underlying the transmission of distress from the interparental relationship to parenting difficulties over a two year period in a sample of 233 mothers (M = 35.0 years) and fathers (M = 36.8 years) of kindergarten children. Findings from autoregressive structural equation models indicated that parent gender moderated associations between interparental conflict and parental psychological control and insensitivity to child negative affect. Pathways between interparental conflict and parenting difficulties over the two year period were significant for fathers but not mothers. Analysis of insecurity and depressive symptoms as affective mechanisms of spillover revealed that adult relationship insecurity was a significant mediator in the pathways between interparental conflict and parenting difficulties experienced by fathers.In serving as the relationship hub of the family system, the quality of the interparental relationship has significant implications for how adults approach the developmental challenge of raising children. For example, novel use of experimental designs have shown that mothers randomly assigned to participate in a conflictual interaction with their partners were less attentive to their sons in an ensuing parent-child interaction task than mothers who participated in a non-conflictual interaction (Jouriles & Farris, 1992). Longitudinal research has shown that observations of destructive interparental conflict predicted subsequent decreases in parent emotional availability one year later (Sturge-Apple, Davies, & Cummings, 2006). Lending further support to the impact of marital conflict on parenting, parent participation in interventions that are specifically designed to improve the marriage has been shown to promote more effective parenting practices. In contrast, participation in another program designed to Correspondence should be addressed to Patrick Davies, Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627. patrick.davies@rochester.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omissions of this manuscript version, any version derived from this manuscript by NIH, or other third parties. The published version is available at www.apa.org/journals/dev. improve parenting did not yield any enhancement in interparental relationship quality . Taken together, the various findings provide strong support for the thesis that interparental conflict progressively undermines child-rearing practices (Cowan, Cowan, Pruett, & Pruett, 2007;Mikulincer & Goodman, 2006). However, the question remains as to why...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 61%

A process analysis of the transmission of distress from interparental conflict to parenting: Adult relationship security as an explanatory mechanism.

Davies

Sturge‐Apple

Woitach

et al. 2009

Developmental Psychology

124

122

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Parents with harmonious marriages tend to engage in positive parenting styles characterized by warmth, affection, involvement, structure, and empathy (Barber, Bolitho, & Bertrand, 2001; Gray & Steinberg, 1999). On the other hand, research consistently demonstrates that stressful family conditions, particularly marital turmoil, affect children via the mediating corrosion of parental disciplinary responses to child misbehavior and positive encouragement for prosocial behavior (Erel & Burman, 1995; Fauber, Forehand, Thomas, & Wierson, 1990; Patterson, Reid, & Dishion, 1992). …”

Section: Parenting Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect transmission of relationship functioning across generations.

Ehrensaft¹,

Knous-Westfall²,

Cohen³

2011

Journal of Family Psychology

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Relationship functioning is assumed to propagate across subsequent generations, but most studies have lacked appropriate methodologies to test this assumption prospectively. In a randomly selected sample of youth (N = 821) followed prospectively for over 25 years across multiple generations, we examined the association of romantic engagement (i.e. emotional involvement and closeness) between parents with offspring romantic relationship quality. We tested two developmental pathways linking parents’ romantic engagement with offspring adult romantic relationship quality, the first operating via parenting practices, and the second operating via adolescent depression. Parents’ romantic engagement predicted offspring romantic relationship quality a mean of 17 years later, net age and socioeconomic status. Results supported a developmental pathway from parents’ romantic engagement at offspring mean age 14, to parenting at offspring mean age 16, to offspring socio-emotional functioning at mean age 22, and offspring romantic relationship quality at mean age 33. However, the influence of parents’ romantic engagement on offspring’s adult romantic relationship quality does not appear to operate via a pathway of adolescent depression. Implications for prevention are discussed.

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“…Parental conflict may spill over to interactions with children (Erel & Burman, 1995), preoccupying parents and decreasing their availability and time for children. The stress associated with conflict may result in less warmth and harsher discipline (Fauber et al, 1990), and disagreements between parents may prevent their cooperation in decisions regarding child rearing, precluding the clear and consistent rule-setting and supervision that protects youth from risks (Grych & Fincham, 1990). Parents who often argue have weaker relationships with their children (Amato & Sobolewski, 2001; Musick & Bumpass, 1999; Sobolewski & Amato, 2007), relationships that further protect children from risk (Resnick et al, 1997).…”

Section: Explaining Family Structure and Conflict Associationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are both parents always better than one? Parental conflict and young adult well-being

Musick¹,

Meier²

2010

Social Science Research

106

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Using data from three waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (N=1,963), we examine associations between adolescent family experiences and young adult well-being across a range of indicators, including schooling, substance use, and family-related transitions. We compare children living with both biological parents, but whose parents differ in how often they argue, to children in stepfather and single-mother families, and we assess the extent to which differences can be understood in terms of family income and parenting practices. Findings suggest that parental conflict is associated with children's poorer academic achievement, increased substance use, and early family formation and dissolution. Living in single mother and stepfather families tend to be more strongly associated with our indicators of well-being, although differences between these family types and living with high conflict continuously married parents are often statistically indistinguishable. Income and parenting largely do not account for associations between adolescent family type and later life outcomes. We conclude that while children do better, on average, living with two biological married parents, the advantages of two-parent families are not shared equally by all.Keywords family structure; parental conflict; transition to adulthood; parenting The association between family structure and child well-being is frequently cited: children who grow up with two married parents tend to fare better than others (for reviews see Amato, 2005;McLanahan & Sandefur, 1994;Sigle-Rushton & McLanahan, 2004). Most studies of family structure compare children in single-parent and stepparent families to those living with their married, biological parents, treating these marriages as a homogenous group. A somewhat distinct body of work shows the importance of parental conflict for child outcomes. Children whose parents often argue score worse on measures of academic achievement, behavior problems, psychological well-being, and adult relationship quality; they are also more likely to form families early and outside of marriage (Amato & Sobolewski, 2001;Booth & Edwards, 1990;Davies & Cummings, 1994;Emery, 1982;Furstenberg & Teitler, 1994;Grych & Fincham, 1990;Hanson, 1999;Jekielek, 1998;Morrison & Coiro, * Direct correspondence to Kelly Musick, Department of Policy Analysis and Management, MVR 254, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; musick@cornell.edu; Phone: 607-255-6067; Fax: 607-255-4071. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Musick & Bumpass, 1999). Examining variation in conflict ...

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A Mediational Model of the Impact of Marital Conflict on Adolescent Adjustment in Intact and Divorced Families: The Role of Disrupted Parenting

Cited by 304 publications

References 0 publications

A process analysis of the transmission of distress from interparental conflict to parenting: Adult relationship security as an explanatory mechanism.

A process analysis of the transmission of distress from interparental conflict to parenting: Adult relationship security as an explanatory mechanism.

Direct and indirect transmission of relationship functioning across generations.

Are both parents always better than one? Parental conflict and young adult well-being

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