Adolescents' Cognitive and Emotional Responses to Marital Hostility

Abstract

Early adolescents' (11-14 years) responses to marital hostility were examined in a sample of 416 families. The cognitive-contextual perspective and emotional security hypothesis guided the study and 9 adolescent responses were identified. Prospective associations were examined in several structural equation models that included adolescent problems as outcomes. Self-blame and perceived threat uniquely mediated the association between Year 1 marital hostility and Year 3 adolescent externalizing problems (p<.05). Self-blame, lower constructive representations, internalization of feelings, avoidance, and emotional dysregulation uniquely mediated the association between Year 1 marital hostility and Year 3 internalizing problems. Specific cognitive and emotionally based responses are important to understanding how martial hostility affects youth and need to be considered within an integrated model.

Challenging Behavior, Parental Conflict and Community Violence in Students with Aggressive Behavior

“…This is consistent with reports in the literature which suggest frequent and hostile parental conflict is related to the presence in the children of aggressive behavior toward peers at school (Buehler et al, 2007;Kitzmann et al, 2003;Lee et al, 2015). Parental conflict explains the presence of aggressive Note.…”

“…This conflict, which has a negative effect on parenting practices, favors the presence of externalized behavior problems (aggression, bullying) and internalization (depression, anxiety) in children (Buehler, Lange, & Franck, 2007;Kitzmann, Gaylord, Holt, & Kenny, 2003;Lee, Wesbecher, Lee, & Lee, 2015). It also damages adolescents' and children's sense of family identity and safety, effects that are exacerbated when conflict is common, if it is handled in a hostile way and when it relates to or involves children (Cummings, Goekemorey, & Papp, 2003;Lindsey, Colwell, Frabutt, & McKinnon-Lewis, 2006).…”

Families with Distinct Levels of Marital Conflict and Child Adjustment: Which Role for Maternal and Paternal Stress?

“…In this regard, we could assume that the parents in the ''High marital conflict group'' could use a series of destructive conflict strategies, such as verbal hostility, physical aggression, nonverbal anger, and withdrawal. These strategies, by eliciting negative appraisals (perceived threat and self-blame) and emotional and behavioral reactions from children (e.g., anger, sadness, and behavior dysregulation), may make children more vulnerable to developing internalizing and externalizing problems (e.g., Buehler et al 2007;Camisasca et al 2014;Fosco and Grych 2008;Katz and Low 2004). Conversely, we could assume that, in the family et al (2009, 2013) and, in order to better explain these results, future research should ascertain the relative incidence of destructive or constructive conflict tactics because recent work suggests that most couples engage in both constructive and destructive marital conflict tactics during everyday conflicts.…”

“…This type of conflict tactic elicits positive emotional reactions (e.g., happiness) from children and reduces the probability of children having aggressive tendencies (Cummings et al 2004). In contrast, the use of destructive tactics, such as verbal hostility, physical aggression, nonverbal anger, and withdrawal, elicits negative emotional and behavioral reactions from children Goeke-Morey et al 2003) and may make them more vulnerable to developing adjustment problems (Buehler et al 2007;Fosco and Grych 2008). Indeed, several empirical studies have long shown that exposure to high levels of marital conflict is associated with of a wide variety of difficulties for children and adolescents, including externalizing behaviors and internalizing problems, social maladjustment, and deficits in cognitive competency (Camisasca et al 2013a(Camisasca et al , b, 2014Davies and Cummings 1994;Fosco and Grych 2008;McCoy et al 2009McCoy et al , 2013Pendry and Adam 2013).…”

Youth Emotional Reactivity, Interparental Conflict, Parent Hostility, and Worrying Among Children with Substance-Abusing Parents

“…In a sample of fathers who had been arrested for domestic violence, there was a tendency for men's interpersonal hostility to be associated with their reports of their children's overall emotional and behavioral functioning (Febres et al 2014). In a community sample, emotional dysregulation and self-blame mediated the association between interparental hostility measured when children were in sixth grade and youth internalizing problems 2 years later (Buehler et al 2007). Correspondingly, parent hostility was one of the best predictors of youth who recovered from phobic and anxiety disorders after receiving exposure-based cognitive and behavioral treatment as compared to children who did not (Berman et al 2000).…”