Does Resolution of Interadult Conflict Ameliorate Children's Anger and Distress Across Covert, Verbal, and Physical Disputes?

Reiter, Stephanie L.; El‐Sheikh, Mona

doi:10.1300/j135v01n03_01

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Using an analog methodology in which children were exposed to simulated conflict scenarios, Cummings, El-Sheikh, and colleagues have found that children perceive physical interadult conflict as more angering and distressing than verbal marital altercations (e.g., Cummings et al 1989; El-Sheikh and Cheskes 1995; Goeke-Morey et al 2003; Harger and El-Sheikh 2003; Rieter and El-Sheikh 1999). Nevertheless, all forms of marital conflict, including physical, verbal, or covert (e.g., silent treatment) evoke negative affect and distress in children (Cummings et al 2002; El-Sheikh and Reiter 1996 ; Rieter and El-Sheikh 1999 ). For a better understanding of child behavior problems and cognitive and academic performance in the context of family risk, child functioning needs to be examined in the context of both marital verbal/psychological and physical aggression.…”

Section: Marital Violence and Children’s Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children and Violence: The Role of Children’s Regulation in the Marital Aggression–Child Adjustment Link

Cummings

El‐Sheikh

Kouros

et al. 2009

Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exposure to marital psychological and physical abuse has been established as a risk factor for children's socio-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems. Understanding the processes by which children develop symptoms of psychopathology and deficits in cognitive functioning in the context of marital aggression is imperative for developing efficient and effective treatment programs for children and families, and has far-reaching mental health implications. The present paper outlines our research program, Child Regulation and Exposure to Marital Aggression, which focuses on children's emotional and physiological reactivity and regulation as pathways in the marital aggression-child development link. Findings from our research program, which highlight the importance of children's regulatory processes for understanding children's adjustment in contexts of intimate partner violence, are presented, and future directions in this line of inquiry are outlined. KeywordsMarital violence; Marital aggression; Child adjustment; Physiological regulation; Vagal tone; Emotional reactivityThe negative impact of marital aggression and violence on children's adjustment has been established; however, the processes that mediate these relations and variables that function as vulnerability or protective factors are poorly understood. Further, longitudinal research examining these associations is scarce. Marital psychological and physical aggression is prevalent in U.S. families, and understanding the processes by which marital violence affects children's development across multiple domains of functioning has far-reaching mental health implications. The present paper describes our research program, Child Regulation and Exposure to Marital Violence, and presents a conceptual model for understanding the mechanisms by which marital violence affects children's adjustment. We also present empirical evidence for our conceptual model. The main tenant of our research program is that examining children's emotional and physiological reactivity and regulation to marital violence is not only critical for advancing our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the marital NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript aggression-child adjustment link, but also offers a promising avenue for developing effective and efficient prevention and intervention efforts with children and families. Prevalence Rates of Children's Exposure to Marital ViolenceWhile it is difficult to offer exact numbers regarding children exposed to marital violence, a commonly cited statistic is that some form of marital violence occurs in 12% of American households, and approximately 10 million children witness this violence per year (Straus and Gelles 1990). Current research, however, suggests that these statistics underestimate the number of children exposed to marital violence. For example, using a random digit dialing procedure, Smith Slep and O'Leary (2005) assessed prevalence rates and patterns of aggression among married or cohabit...

show abstract