Impact of Hostility and Withdrawal in Interparental Conflict on Parental Emotional Unavailability and Children's Adjustment Difficulties

The mediating role of marital quality in parenting intervention: Effects on preschoolers' conduct problems and effortful control

This study explores whether marital quality mediates the effects of a parenting intervention on preschoolers' conduct problems and effortful control. Using data from 209 children in a two-wave randomized controlled trial of the Hitkashrut program, participants were assigned to either a 14-session co-parent training group or a minimal intervention control group. Intent-to-treat analysis revealed that improvements in marital quality significantly mediated the intervention's impact on both conduct problems and effortful control. An alternative model, which hypothesized that changes in child behavior would lead to improvements in marital quality, was not supported, reinforcing the importance of targeting marital dynamics to achieve better child outcomes. These findings highlight the potential of marital-focused strategies within parenting interventions to foster healthier family environments and improve long-term developmental trajectories in children.

Associations Between Parents' Cognitions About Child Anxiety and Emotion Dysregulation in Clinically Anxious Children: The Unique Contribution of Fathers

This study examined the influence of parental cognition, including attitudes, beliefs, and understanding of anxiety, on emotion dysregulation in children with anxiety disorder. A total of 47 clinically anxious children (6-17 years old) and their parents were involved in the current study. The mothers and fathers separately completed a self-reported questionnaire assessing their attitudes, beliefs, and understanding of their children's anxiety, while the children completed a self-report questionnaire assessing emotion dysregulation. Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were used for data analysis. The results indicated that only fathers' higher levels of unhelpful attitudes, beliefs, and understanding of anxiety were positively and significantly associated with greater emotion regulation (ER) difficulties in anxious children. Furthermore, fathers' unhelpful cognitions regarding anxiety uniquely predicted their children's emotion regulation difficulties. These findings highlight the importance of including fathers in preventive and therapeutic interventions in promoting ER abilities in children with anxiety disorder.

Food Insecurity and Children's Problem Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Parental Relationship Quality and Parenting Stress

OBJECTIVE

Food insecurity, identified as a critical stressor for many families, can directly and indirectly influence children's development through interparental relationships and parenting. This study examines how food insecurity relates to children's problem behaviors and the mediating roles of interparental relationship quality and parenting stress. It also investigates the association between parents' perception of relationship quality and both their own and their partner's parenting stress.

METHOD

The study included 2095 children from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The actor partner interdependence model was used to explore the actor and partner influence of relationship quality on parents' parenting stress. To examine the association pathways from food insecurity to children's problem behaviors, a structural equation model was conducted.

RESULTS

Results suggest that fathers' perception of couple relationship quality predicted both their own and their partner's parenting stress while mothers' perception of couple relationship quality only predicted their own, but not fathers', parenting stress. In the positive association between food insecurity and children's problem behaviors, there was a serial mediation through mothers' perception of relationship quality and mothers' parenting stress. In addition, food insecurity was negatively correlated with mothers' perception of relationship quality, but not with that of fathers.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the pathway from food insecurity to children's problem behaviors through mothers' perceptions of interparental relationship quality and parenting stress. Results provide support for the family stress theory and offer valuable insights for the formulation of potential prevention and intervention programs.

The effect of systematic couple group therapy on families with depressed juveniles: a pilot trial

Background

Depression is a primary cause of illness and disability among teenagers, and the incidence of depression and the number of untreated young people have increased in recent years. Effective intervention for those youths could decrease the disease burden and suicide or self-harm risk during preadolescence and adolescence.

Objective

To verify the short efficacy of the systemic couple group therapy (SCGT) on youths' depression changes and families with depressed adolescents.

Methods

The study was a self-control trial; only within-group changes were evaluated. Participants were couples with a depressed child who was resistant to psychotherapy; they were recruited non-randomly through convenient sampling. The paired-sample t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to compare differences before and after interventions. The effect sizes were also estimated using Cohen's d. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to examine associations between changes.

Results

A downward trend was seen in depressive symptoms after treatment, and Cohen's d was 0.33 (p = 0.258). The adolescents perceived fewer interparental conflicts, and the effect sizes were medium for perceived conflict frequency (0.66, p = 0.043), conflict intensity (0.73, p = 0.028), conflict solutions (0.75, p = 0.025), coping efficacy (0.68, p = 0.038), and perceived threat (0.57, p = 0.072). For parents, global communication quality, constructive communication patterns, and subjective marital satisfaction significantly improved after interventions, with large effect sizes (1.11, 0.85, and 1.03, respectively; all p < 0.001). Other destructive communication patterns such as demand/withdraw (p = 0.003) and mutual avoidance (p = 0.018) and communication strategies like verbal aggression (p = 0.012), stonewalling (p = 0.002), avoidance-capitulation (p = 0.036), and child involvement (p = 0.001) also reduced, with medium effect sizes (0.69, 0.52, 0.55, 0.71, 0.46, and 0.79, respectively). Meanwhile, the associations between depression changes and changes in interparental conflicts (p < 0.001) and marital satisfaction (p = 0.001) were significant.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

The SCGT offers the possibility for the treatment of families with depressed children who are unwilling to seek treatment. Helping parents improve communication and marital quality may have benefits on children's depressive symptoms.

Exploring relationship satisfaction in mothers of children with disabilities: the predictive role of interparental conflicts and moderating role of dyadic coping

Background

Parenting responsibilities, while a source of happiness, often lead to considerable stress for parents of children with disabilities. While most parents try to cope with these challenges together, some level of interparental conflict is almost inevitable. Frequently assuming primary responsibility for children with disabilities, mothers can be substantially impacted by interparental conflict with their partners and the resulting stress. However, implementing dyadic coping strategies in managing stressful situations serves as a buffer against adverse effects, while also enhancing relationship satisfaction.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the relationship between interparental conflicts, dyadic coping, and relationship satisfaction among 232 mothers of children with disabilities in Croatia who were in an intimate relationship and shared a household with their partners, regardless of marital status.

Methods

We analysed a non-probabilistic sample of women in Croatia who reported being in an intimate relationship, sharing a household with a partner (whether married or simply cohabitating) and being a mother to a child with a diagnosed developmental disability. Participants completed questionnaires online in March of 2021 (sociodemographic variables, the Parent Problem Checklist, the Dyadic Coping Inventory and the Marriage Quality Index).

Results

Results of hierarchical multiple regression show that mothers' perceptions of how they help their partner cope with stress do not predict how satisfied they are in a relationship; instead, relationship satisfaction depends on their perceptions of how their partner helps them and how they cope with stress as a team. Furthermore, moderation analysis revealed the effect of interparental conflicts were entirely mitigated by high supportive and low negative dyadic coping of the partner. When mothers felt adequately supported by their partner, the negative impact of stress caused by interparental conflicts did not spill over into their relationship.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that by recognizing the importance of psychological support and couples therapy in strengthening dyadic coping, government and non-profit initiatives can effectively empower parents of children with disabilities, fostering healthier and more resilient family dynamics that promotes the well-being of parents and their children.

The association between domestic violence exposure and cyberbullying behavior among secondary school students

Introduction

Cyberbullying could have a severe and long-term impact on the physical and mental health of secondary school students because of its characteristics of being hidden, repetitive, and exceeding the limitations of time and space, thus attracting widespread attention. Among the many environmental factors, family was the immediate environment where secondary school students live. Violent behaviors such as aggression displayed by other subjects in the family environment could trigger aggressive behaviors among secondary school students, and the indirectness of the online environment intensifies this tendency.

Methods

This study used the Cyberbullying Scale, the Domestic Violence Exposure Scale, the Depression Scale, and the Brief Self-Control Scale to conduct a questionnaire survey of 10,273 secondary school students in 12 secondary schools from Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Henan provinces in China to explore the relationship and internal mechanisms between domestic violence exposure and cyberbullying behavior among secondary school students.

Results

This study found that (1) domestic violence exposure has a significant positive associated with cyberbullying behavior among secondary school students; (2) the mediating effect of depression partially exists between domestic violence exposure and cyberbullying behavior among secondary school students; (3). self-control alleviated the effects of domestic violence exposure on cyberbullying among secondary school students but intensified the effects of depression on cyberbullying among secondary school students.

Discussion

The results suggest that while focusing on the association of domestic violence exposure with cyberbullying among secondary school students, it is also necessary to pay attention to the mediating effect of depression and the mitigating and intensifying mechanisms of self-control, resulting in a notable weakening effect on cyberbullying among secondary school students.

Parent Stress and Trauma, Autonomic Responses, and Negative Child Behaviors

Cumulative stress and trauma in parents may alter autonomic function. Both may negatively impact child behaviors, however these links have not been well established. We tested hypotheses that parent stress and trauma are associated with and interact with altered autonomic function during the toy wait task, an acute parent-child interaction challenge, to predict greater negative child behaviors. Sixty-eight parents and their 2-5 year old children were enrolled. More parent major and traumatic life events, and more parent recent life events coupled with increased heart rate and decreased heart rate variability (HRV), each related to more child disruptive/aggressive behavior. More major life and traumatic life events coupled with greater HRV predicted more child attention seeking behavior. Our novel approach to assessing parental life stress offers a unique perspective. Interventions mitigating parent stress and regulating physiological coping during parent-child interactions may both promote better parent health and improve child behavioral outcomes.

The role of parenting practices in parent and child mental health over time

BACKGROUND

Parent and child mental health has suffered during the pandemic and transition phase. Structured and shared parenting may be intervention targets beneficial to families who are struggling with parent or child mental health challenges.

AIMS

First, we investigated associations between structured and shared parenting and parent depression symptoms. Second, we investigated associations between structured and shared parenting and depression, hyperactivity/inattention and irritability symptoms in children.

METHOD

A total of 1027 parents in two-parent households (4797 observations total; 85.1% mothers) completed online surveys about themselves and their children (aged 2-18 years) from April 2020 to July 2022. Structured parenting and shared parenting responsibilities were assessed from April 2020 to November 2021. Symptoms of parent depression, child depression, child hyperactivity and inattention, child irritability, and child emotional and conduct problems were assessed repeatedly (one to 14 times; median of four times) from April 2020 to July 2022.

RESULTS

Parents who reported higher levels of shared parenting responsibilities had lower depression symptoms (β = -0.09 to -0.32, all P < 0.01) longitudinally. Parents who reported higher levels of shared parenting responsibilities had children with fewer emotional problems (ages 2-5 years; β = -0.07, P < 0.05), fewer conduct problems (ages 2-5 years; β = -0.09, P < 0.01) and less irritability (ages 13-18 years; β = -0.27, P < 0.001) longitudinally. Structured parenting was associated with fewer conduct problems (ages 2-5 years; β = -0.05, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Shared parenting is beneficial for parent and child mental health, even under chaotic or inflexible life conditions. Structured parenting is beneficial for younger children.

The moderating effect of marital conflict on the relationship between social avoidance and socio-emotional functioning among young children in suburban China

Social avoidance has been found to be related to negative social adjustment, yet evidence of the relationship between social avoidance and social adjustment is very limited in suburban preschoolers in China. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms that help to explain the associations between social avoidance and socio-emotional adjustment remain poorly considered. The goal of the present study was to examine the moderating effect of marital conflict in the link between social avoidance and indices of socio-emotional functioning among young children in mainland China. Participants were N = 256 children aged from 49 to 72 months (125 boys, 131 girls, M_age  = 59.06 months, SD = 6.58) attending preschools/kindergartens in suburban areas of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Multi-source assessments were employed, with mothers reporting marital conflict as well as rating their children's social withdrawal (i.e., social avoidance, shyness, unsociability), and teachers assessing indices of children's socio-emotional functioning at school (i.e., anxious-fearful behavior, peer exclusion, and loneliness). Children were asked about their loneliness. Among the results, social avoidance was positively associated with anxious-fearful behavior, peer exclusion, and loneliness (marginal significance). Moreover, as hypothesized, marital conflict was found to exacerbate the relations between social avoidance and peer exclusion, and loneliness. Results are discussed in terms of the etiology and implications of social avoidance among young children in mainland China.

Relationship among Child Maltreatment, Parental Conflict, and Mental Health of Children during the COVID-19 Lockdown in China

Children are more likely to experience maltreatment and parental conflict in a pandemic context, which can exacerbate their vulnerability to psychological disorders. The purpose of the present study was to examine mental health symptoms in children aged 0 to 10 years and consider related factors from the perspectives of maltreatment and parental conflict during the COVID-19 lockdown. Participants were 1286 parents aged 18 years and over with children aged 0 to 10 years were included. Several multivariable linear regressions were used to analyze the data. The largest variance in child mental health was explained by child maltreatment, as more maltreatment predicted higher reported psychological problems (standardized beta = 0.49, P < 0.001). Comparatively, parental conflict predicted less variance in mental health problems than maltreatment (standardized beta = 0.18, P < 0.001). Children who experienced more maltreatment experience and exposure to COVID-19 showed elevated levels of mental health symptoms (standardized beta = 0.06, p < 0.05), as did those who experienced parental conflict and pandemic exposure (standardized beta = 0.06, p < 0.05). The findings highlight that tailored programs that focus on a healthy family environment and strategic parental support services may be particularly effective in reducing children's mental health problems due to COVID-19 exposure.

Trajectories of interparental conflict and children's emotional-behavioural functioning at 10-11 years: an Australian population-based study

Interparental conflict (IPC) has the potential to adversely affect children's social, emotional, and behavioural functioning. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between both the severity and chronicity of IPC across early and middle childhood and children's emotional-behavioural functioning at 10-11 years. Specifically, we aimed to: (1) identify distinct trajectories of IPC spanning 10-11 years since birth of the study child as reported by mothers, and (2) examine the emotional-behavioural functioning of children exposed to the identified IPC trajectories. Drawing from a nationally representative longitudinal study of Australian families (N = 4875), four distinct trajectories of IPC were identified: (1) consistently low exposure to IPC over time, (2) persistently elevated exposure to IPC, (3) increasing IPC exposure over time, and (4) decreasing IPC exposure over time. Children exposed to trajectories with high IPC at any point during the study period were reported by their mothers to be experiencing more emotional-behavioural difficulties than children exposed to low IPC over time. Based on teacher report, there were no differences in emotional-behavioural functioning of children exposed to the different patterns of IPC. Our findings reinforce that high parental conflict at any point in a child's life is a form of adversity that can have adverse consequences for their mental health, and that early interventions for parents and caregivers experiencing high IPC are critical.

Characterizing Parent–Child Interactions in Families of Autistic Children in Late Childhood

Parent–child interactions are influential to a wide range of positive developmental processes in neurotypical children, yet contributions to our understanding of these interactions using observational methods in families of children on the autism spectrum are lacking. The aim of the current study is to investigate how autism symptoms might impact these interactions. We use a family discussion task to: (1) compare families of autistic children aged 8–12 years (n = 21) to families of typically developing children (n = 21, matched on age and cognitive abilities) on the observed levels of supportive and directive behaviors in the parent–child relationship, and (2) examine the associations between parent–child interaction characteristics and child functioning. Results showed no differences in the observed levels of supportive behavior exhibited by parents, but significantly less supportive behavior in autistic children compared to neurotypical children. In addition, parents of autistic children had higher levels of observed directive behavior compared to parents of neurotypical children. Levels of supportive behavior in parents and autistic children were negatively associated with child ADHD symptoms. Findings reinforce literature on younger children describing positive parenting characteristics and further rebuke historical accounts of negative parenting qualities of parents of autistic children.

Love in the Time of COVID-19: A Multi-Wave Study Examining the Salience of Sexual and Relationship Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The current study used Family Systems Theory as a framework to clarify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual, romantic, and individual functioning. Specifically, sexual and romantic functioning were modeled as key mechanisms linking COVID-19 related stressors (as predictors) to aspects of individual functioning over time (as outcomes). A sample of 1,241 sexually active adults in relationships (47% married/engaged) was recruited from March 5 to May 5, 2020: 82% White, 66% women, M = 34 years old, 58% heterosexual. All participants completed a baseline survey and 642 participants completed at least one of the six, monthly, follow-up surveys. Multilevel SEM models evaluated the model both at the level of stable between-person differences (i.e., level 2) and at the level of within-person change across time (i.e., level 1). The findings suggested that COVID-19 related stress was predictive of lower sexual, romantic, and individual functioning in both levels of the model. Significant indirect paths supported the proposed mediation at the level of within-person change across time: elevations in COVID-19 stress within specific months predicted corresponding drops in sexual functioning, which in turn predicted corresponding drops in romantic functioning, which in turn predicted corresponding drops in individual well-being (highlighting points of intervention). In contrast, at the level of between-person differences, stable levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction across the 6 months of the study were not associated with stable levels of COVID-19 stressors (representing sources of resilience that promoted well-being) and stable levels of stress from social isolation predicted stably higher amounts of communicating affection to one's loved ones (suggesting a need for affiliation in the face of chronic stress) whereas stable difficulties with orgasms were linked to stable irritability toward partners and depressive symptoms. Multigroup analyses suggested that the findings generalized across gender, age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, relationship stage, and cohabitation groups. Spillover effects within a Family Systems Theory framework clarify how upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic could have impacted sexual, romantic, and individual functioning in a process-oriented framework, highlighting sources of resilience (sexual satisfaction, communicating affection) and risk (orgasm difficulties).

The association between maternal lifetime interpersonal trauma experience and perceived mother-infant bonding

BACKGROUND

Interpersonal traumas are common among expectant and new mothers and are found to have considerable impacts on women's mental health. These experiences may disrupt maternal perceptions of the mother-infant relationship, which is essential for healthy infant development, but findings are inconsistent. This study aims to explore associations between lifetime interpersonal traumas and their impact on self-reported mother-infant bonding.

METHODS

Secondary data analysis of a representative cohort of 453 women attending at a South London maternity service. Lifetime interpersonal trauma experience and its association with self-reported mother-infant bonding (Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire) was assessed in uni- and multivariable linear regressions, the latter adjusted to account for antenatal depressive and posttraumatic symptoms, measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale, and key sociodemographic risk factors.

RESULTS

Maternal lifetime trauma was not associated with perceived difficulties in mother-infant bonding at three months postnatal; however antenatal depressive symptoms, both with continuous EPDS score (0.33, 95% CI 0.17-0.50, p<0.001) and clinical cut-off ≥13 (4.26, 95% CI 2.02-6.49, p<0.001) were associated with self-reported bonding difficulties.

LIMITATIONS

The composite trauma measurement did not allow for a comprehensive assessment of individual trauma types.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no evidence for a link between maternal lifetime trauma experiences and self-reported bonding difficulties. However, an association between antenatal depressive symptoms and perceived postpartum bonding impairment was found. This highlights the importance of identification and treatment of depressive symptoms during pregnancy and offering women support in facilitating a positive mother-infant relationship.

Mother-Child and Father-Child Relationships in Emerging Adults from Divorced and Non-Divorced Families

The main aim of this study was to analyze the associations between parental divorce and interparental conflict with the quality of parent-child relationships. Specifically, we analyzed trust, communication and alienation in both father-child and mother-child relationships in a sample of 1078 Spanish emerging adults from divorced and non-divorced families. The interaction between parental divorce and conflict was also analyzed. In support of our expectations, parental divorce was associated with lower trust and communication, along with higher alienation in father-child and mother-child relationships. When interparental conflict was included, parental conflict was more strongly associated with lower trust and communication in mother-child relationships, and higher alienation in both mother-child and father-child relationships. However, parental divorce was still associated with low trust and communication with fathers, when interparental conflict and the interaction between parental divorce and conflict were added. In summation, our results suggest that both parental divorce and conflict should be taken into account in the study of the consequences of family-related stress variables on adult children’s wellbeing. These findings add to the current literature and contribute to better comprehend the effects of parental divorce and conflict on both mother-child and father-child affective relationships in an understudied cultural context. The implications, limitations and future research recommendations are discussed.

The neuroscience of social feelings: mechanisms of adaptive social functioning

Social feelings have conceptual and empirical connections with affect and emotion. In this review, we discuss how they relate to cognition, emotion, behavior and well-being. We examine the functional neuroanatomy and neurobiology of social feelings and their role in adaptive social functioning. Existing neuroscience literature is reviewed to identify concepts, methods and challenges that might be addressed by social feelings research. Specific topic areas highlight the influence and modulation of social feelings on interpersonal affiliation, parent-child attachments, moral sentiments, interpersonal stressors, and emotional communication. Brain regions involved in social feelings were confirmed by meta-analysis using the Neurosynth platform for large-scale, automated synthesis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Words that relate specifically to social feelings were identfied as potential research variables. Topical inquiries into social media behaviors, loneliness, trauma, and social sensitivity, especially with recent physical distancing for guarding public and personal health, underscored the increasing importance of social feelings for affective and second person neuroscience research with implications for brain development, physical and mental health, and lifelong adaptive functioning.

Self-Blame Mediates the Link between Childhood Neglect Experiences and Internalizing Symptoms in Low-Risk Adolescents

Childhood neglect is the most common type of maltreatment, ranging from minor isolated incidents to consistent failures in emotional/physical caregiving. It has been associated with developmental impairments and considered a risk factor for the emergence of psychopathology, particularly internalizing disorders. This study aimed to explore individual differences in response to the continuum of severity of neglect in community adolescents, as well as the role of specific cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERSs) as mediators between childhood neglect and current internalizing symptoms. Low-risk adolescents (12-19 years old; M age 15.88 years; N = 123; 64 Females) completed questionnaires assessing these experiences. We employed a regression model and a simple mediation analyses. Findings indicate a positive association between childhood neglect, internalizing behaviors, and the adoption of self-blame as CERS. Moreover, the use of self-blame in response to everyday stress partially mediated the relationship between neglect and internalizing behaviors (effect size: .28). Findings support the hypothesis that even in a low risk sample, neglect is associated with internalizing symptoms, and highlight the importance of assessing individual differences in the experience of neglect. Moreover, the mediation effect of the CERSs of self-blame might serve as a potential target for psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at reducing internalizing symptoms.

How domestically violent Fathers impact children's social-emotional development: Fathers' psychological functioning, parenting, and coparenting

BACKGROUND

Most children exposed to father-perpetrated domestic violence (DV) continue to have contact or live with fathers, yet there is little research on the impact of fathering in the context of domestic violence.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aimed to identify pathways from children's exposure to father-perpetrated DV to compromised social-emotional outcomes. Based on extant literature on fathering and domestic violence, psychological, parenting, and coparenting features in DV fathers were identified as potential mediators of the relationship between child exposure to DV and their social-emotional outcomes.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Participants were 123 fathers with confirmed histories of DV perpetration and 101 comparison fathers without such histories.

METHODS

Fathers completed self-report measures during two assessment sessions held at the university. Simple mediation analyses were used to examine pathways between fathers' DV perpetration and child internalizing and externalizing difficulties through potential mediators.

RESULTS

Paternal depression, hostility, and coparenting difficulties significantly mediated the relationship between child exposure to DV and child internalizing and externalizing difficulties. Low paternal warmth was associated with child externalizing difficulties but did not function as a mediator. Paternal over-reactivity and laxness, in contrast, were not significantly correlated with DV perpetration or with child internalizing or externalizing outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that fathers' emotion regulation and coparenting difficulties are important correlates of his DV perpetration and of their children's psychological symptoms and should be considered as potential foci for parenting intervention with this population.

The Implications of Early Marital Conflict for Children's Development

Although negative associations between the frequency and intensity of marital conflict and children's adjustment are well documented, less is known about how parents' conflict styles are related to children's developmental outcomes. The present study examines whether exposure to different types of parents' conflict styles, during a child's first year of life, is related to children's behavioral outcomes in the first grade. Parents' conflict resolution styles (CRSs) and child outcomes were examined in a sample of 150 working-class, first-time parents and their children. It was hypothesized that infants' exposure to more conflictual conflict resolution styles would predict poorer child outcomes over time. Results revealed that parents' unique conflict styles mattered in unique ways for children's development, but also that the interaction of parents' styles, their dyadic conflict patterns, was also related to child outcomes. Results revealed that higher levels of parents' depressive or angry CRSs in the first year predicted more internalizing problems for children, while constructive CRS was related to fewer externalizing problems. However, gender effects showed that higher rates of parental compliance during conflict were related to more internalizing problems in girls. Furthermore, dyadic results revealed that having one parent angrily engage in conflict and the other parent - withdraw, comply or angrily engage - was related to more externalizing problems for boys. Overall, results showed that parents' different conflict resolution styles, during a child's first year of life, are related to their children's developmental outcomes 6 years later. These results emphasize children's early vulnerability to parental conflict and hold implications for clinicians and practioners.

Infant biological sensitivity to father engagement in low-income Mexican American families

Despite a sizeable literature documenting meaningful contributions of father involvement to child health and development, researchers have paid little attention to biological characteristics that may render a child more or less sensitive to fathering behavior. The identification of child and paternal characteristics that promote child behavioral health is particularly critical in the context of sociocultural risk. We hypothesized that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) measured during infancy would moderate the impact of father engagement in caregiving activities on child behavioral health. In a sample of 181 Mexican American families, we evaluated the impact of infant RSA at 6 weeks, mother- and father-reported father engagement in caregiving activities at 15 and 21 weeks, and their interaction on toddler social or emotional behavior problems and competence at 2 years of age. Only infants with average or higher RSA exhibited more behavior problems in the context of low father engagement (p = .021). Neither RSA nor father engagement predicted behavioral competence. The results are consistent with a stress-diathesis process such that higher infant RSA increases vulnerability to suboptimal father involvement, but does not enhance the benefits of high father involvement.

Parental Divorce and Interparental Conflict: Spanish Young Adults' Attachment and Relationship Expectations

This study focused on the associations between parental divorce and interparental conflict with young adults' current attachment-related anxiety and avoidance, and romantic relationship expectations. The moderating effect of attachment history was also investigated. Using a sample of 1,078 Spanish young adults (544 women, 518 men; average age 21.4 years), our results confirmed that parental divorce is not associated with young adult children's higher attachment anxiety and avoidance nor poorer romantic relationship expectations. Moreover, interparental conflict is more strongly associated with attachment-related avoidance (p < .001) and romantic relationship expectations (p < .05) than parental divorce, yet depending on attachment history. In fact, in support of our hypothesis, a more secure attachment history with mother has a buffering effect on the association between high-unresolved interparental conflict and attachment avoidance (β = .17, p < .001). Findings add to the existing literature and promote a better understanding of the complex associations between parental divorce and conflict on adult children´s current attachment and relationship expectations.

Integrating a multilevel approach to examine family conflict and parent-adolescent physiological synchrony

The present study investigated physiological synchrony across mothers, fathers, and adolescents during a conflict discussion. In particular, a multilevel, within-dyad approach was used to parameterize synchrony within the parasympathetic nervous system. Moreover, we examined how domains of conflict within the larger family system influenced the level of synchrony between family members. Participants were 191 families with adolescents (M age = 12.4 years), whose respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were measured during a triadic family conflict discussion. On the minute-to-minute basis, mothers and adolescents as well as mothers and fathers exhibited positive RSA concurrent synchrony, whereas no such concordance was observed between adolescents and fathers. In addition, the presence of conflict between parents with respect to coparenting moderated the level of mother-adolescent synchrony such that no concordant RSA synchrony emerged between mother and adolescents under high levels of coparenting conflict. In contrast, general interparental conflict did not moderate levels of physiological synchrony among any of the dyads. Findings suggest that mothers may be particularly physiologically in tune with family members in the context of conflict discussions and specific domains of family conflict may influence concordant physiological dynamics. Taken together, this is one of the first studies to examine physiological synchrony during the adolescent period and results suggest this may be an important developmental period for these dynamics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Sad Dads and Troubled Tots: Protective Factors Related to the Stability of Paternal Depression and Early Childhood Internalizing Problems

The present study tested the moderating role of interparental relationship quality and child inhibitory control on the stability of paternal depression over time and associations between paternal depression and child internalizing problems in early childhood. Participants were a subsample (n = 166) of families from the Early Steps Multisite study, a longitudinal study of low-income parents and children. Interparental relationship quality (age 2) attenuated the association between paternal depressive symptoms at age 2 and paternal depressive symptoms at age 3. Both interparental relationship quality (age 3) and child inhibitory control (age 3) attenuated the association between paternal depressive symptoms (age 3) and age 4 child internalizing problems. Results suggest that high interparental relationship quality may be a protective factor in terms of lessening the stability of paternal depressive symptoms over time, as well as the association between paternal depression and later child internalizing problems. Similarly, high levels of inhibitory control may buffer children from the negative effects of paternal depression on the development of internalizing problems.

Exposure to marital conflict: Gender differences in internalizing and externalizing problems among children

Purpose

Marital conflict is integral to children’s psychosocial well-being. Extant research has shown that the effects of marital conflict on children are likely to vary by gender, indicating that gender plays a significant and complex role in the relationship between marital conflict and child adjustment. Focusing on gender, this study investigates the link between specific marital conflict tactics and children’s mental health symptoms in families in which the parents live together.

Methods

This study gathered data from 799 children and their parents in Japan by means of a questionnaire focusing on marital conflict and child behavioral problems. Marital conflict (verbal aggression, physical aggression, stonewalling, avoidance-capitulation, child involvement, and cooperation) was assessed using a Conflict and Problem-Solving Scale. Children’s behavioral problems (externalizing and internalizing symptoms) were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Results

The findings highlight the significant impact of specific interparental conflict on children’s behavioral problems, demonstrating that there are differences according to the child’s gender. More specifically, multivariate analyses targeting boys revealed that cooperation was significantly inversely associated with externalizing problems and internalizing problems, while avoidance-capitulation and verbal aggression were significantly positively associated with externalizing problems. In contrast, multivariate analyses targeting girls revealed that cooperation was significantly inversely associated with externalizing problems and internalizing problems, while avoidance-capitulation and stonewalling were significantly positively associated with internalizing problems.

Conclusion

This study reveals that interparental conflict is associated with children’s behavioral problems. Constructive marital conflict was significantly inversely associated with externalizing and internalizing problems in both boys and girls. Meanwhile, destructive marital conflict (i.e., avoidance-capitulation and verbal aggression) was significantly positively associated with externalizing problems in boys and significantly positively associated with internalizing problems in girls. These findings contribute to the substantial literature demonstrating the relationship between family processes and the development of disruptive behavior disorders in children.

Children's affective and arousal responses to live interparental conflict: Links with appraisals

While previous research has consistently found that negative forms of interparental conflict predict poorer outcomes in children, less is known about children's immediate responses to conflict. In a sample of 101 children (9-11 years of age) and their parents, we used a novel methodological approach to examine children's affect and perceived arousal responses to a live conflict between their parents in the lab. In addition, we examined children's self-reported cognitions regarding interparental conflict as predictors of these affect and perceived arousal responses. Children reported their affect and perceived arousal responses at 3 time points: before the live interparental conflict, immediately following the conflict, and again immediately following a positive family conversation task. Mixed effects models indicated that children's positive affect decreased following the interparental conflict, and increased following the positive family conversation. Negative affect and perceived arousal decreased linearly across all 3 time points such that they were the lowest following the positive family conversation. Children's perceptions of interparental conflict predicted children's negative affect and perceived arousal scores, but not their degree of change from 1 time point to the next. Findings are discussed in terms of clinical intervention for families and directions for future research in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Parental Stress and Parental Self-Efficacy as Mediators of the Association Between Children's ADHD and Marital Satisfaction

Parents of children with ADHD often experience low marital satisfaction, since the child's increased susceptibility to maladjustment can affect family dynamics as a whole.

OBJECTIVES

To explore this association by examining parental stress and parental self-efficacy as two possible mediators.

METHOD

Totally, 182 Israeli parents of children in the first to ninth grades (63 parents of children with ADHD and 119 without) completed parental self-efficacy, marital satisfaction, and parental stress questionnaires.

RESULTS

As expected, parents of children with ADHD reported higher parental stress, and lower self-efficacy and marital satisfaction than non-ADHD parents. The association between ADHD parents and marital satisfaction was fully explained by parental stress and self-efficacy, suggesting that personal characteristics and situation appraisal are tapped when facing strain and hardship.

CONCLUSION

These findings provide a window of hope for an otherwise deterministic view of the ADHD-marital dissolution relationship and propose individual and familial interventions that may minimize these damaging effects.

Marital Conflict Behaviors and Parenting: Dyadic Links Over Time

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effects of marital conflict on parenting practices for mothers and fathers and to examine whether these effects differ for within-person and cross-person links in parental dyads.

BACKGROUND

Existing findings are mixed regarding the nature and magnitude of the association between marital conflict and childrearing behaviors. Little is known about parental role differences in this regard between fathers and mothers and the mutual influence on the other's responding.

METHOD

A sample of 235 families (fathers, mothers, and their kindergarten children) participated in the study over a 2-year period. Fathers and mothers independently reported on constructive and destructive marital conflict tactics, as well as on their parenting behaviors in scenarios of children experiencing negative emotions.

RESULTS

Results indicated cross-person and within-person relations. For example, fathers' destructive conflict predicted mothers' distress reactions to children's negative emotions, supporting a spillover hypothesis. Mothers' destructive conflict behaviors predicted less unsupportive maternal parenting, supporting a compensatory hypothesis.

CONCLUSION

Fathers' and mothers' marital conflict behaviors may have different implications for their own and their spouse' parenting.

IMPLICATIONS

Intervention and prevention programs that target improving marital conflict interactions may also help promote positive parenting. The findings also support that both fathers and mothers should be included in these programs to increase the beneficial effects on parenting practices.

Child-present and child-themed marital conflict in daily life of parents of children with and without autism spectrum disorder

Parents of 5- to 12-year-old children (half had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder [ASD] and half were typically developing) provided reports of the most significant marital conflict of the day and ratings of child behaviors problems on a daily basis for 14 days. Mothers and fathers in the ASD group reported having more conflicts in daily life with any children present and more conflicts with the target child present than their counterparts with typically developing children did. Fathers (but not mothers) in the ASD group reported more conflicts as including child-related themes, although parents across the groups did not differ in their reporting marital conflict that specifically discussed the study's target child. Results from multilevel modeling revealed within-person associations between child presence during marital conflict and parents' emotions; specifically, child presence was related to lower dyadic positivity and higher dyadic anger, according to both mothers and fathers. In addition, results identified significant, positive within-person associations between child presence during marital conflict and discussing certain conflict topics (increased likelihoods of discussing any children and the study's target children). These direct associations were found consistently across mothers' and fathers' reports, and did not vary across ASD and comparison families. Multilevel models focused on implications of the marital conflict for the study's target children generally found child presence during conflict and discussion of child-themed conflict topics to predict higher levels of behavior problems in daily life. One moderating effect was identified, with child presence during conflict related to higher behavior problems according to mothers in the ASD group but not those in the comparison group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Social-emotional functioning in planned lesbian families: does biological versus non-biological mother status matter? An Italian pilot study

To date, few studies have investigated the social-emotional functioning of planned lesbian families, wherein only one parent is the biological mother of the child. We examined if being a biological versus non-biological mother plays a role in planned lesbian couple functioning and mother-infant play interactions. The present study analyzes the attachment state of mind, couple alliance, parenting stress, and emotional availability in a sample of 40 mothers (20 biological and 20 non-biological). The results showed that mothers' life-long attachment experiences and related mental states of mind, rather than biological relatedness between the parent and child, matter in a mother and child's emotional involvement in parent-child interaction. Furthermore, the results confirmed the different impact of the perceived quality of the couple alliance on biological and non-biological mothers. The findings obtained elucidated what counts in this new family typology, and constitute a heuristic solicitation for future studies to better understand the key factors and mechanisms implied in social-emotional functioning.

An examination of father vulnerability and coercive family process after the birth of a sibling: A spillover cascade model

Fathers are a crucial source of support for children following the birth of an infant sibling. This study examined whether fathers were more vulnerable to the effects of interparental conflict than mothers, and whether there was a subsequent spillover cascade from interparental conflict to children's externalizing behavior problems. We followed 241 families after the birth of a second child. Mothers and fathers reported on interparental conflict and parental efficacy at 1 and 4 months postpartum and punitive discipline and firstborn children's externalizing behavior problems across a longitudinal investigation (prenatal and 4, 8, and 12 months postpartum). For both mothers and fathers, interparental conflict prenatally predicted decreased parental efficacy following the birth. Fathers' lower parental efficacy was significantly associated with increased punitive discipline toward the older sibling at 4 months, whereas mothers' lower parental efficacy was not. Coercive family processes were present between mothers' and fathers' punitive discipline and older siblings' externalizing behavior problems. Results were inconsistent with the father vulnerability hypothesis in that both mothers and fathers were vulnerable to interparental conflict, which in turn spilled over to create coercive family processes that exacerbated children's externalizing behavior problems in the year following the birth of a second child.

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

The effects of the presence of challenging behavior problems, parental conflict and violence in the community were determined by the probability of occurrence of bullying behaviors in elementary students. 664 students participated in the study, of whom 80 (12.04%) were identified as aggressors. 80 students with no reports of attacks were later selected randomly for comparison. Using logistic regression, it was found that the variables studied manifest significant differences between the student groups with and without aggressive behavior toward peers ^_(R2 = .39). Challenging behavior (OR = 7.83), parental conflict (OR = 3.77) and Community Violence (OR = 5.36) increase the probability of belonging to the group of aggressors. We conclude that it is necessary to analyze the bullying from an ecological framework that considers variables located in the contexts in which individuals interact.

A longitudinal study of socioeconomic status, family processes, and child adjustment from preschool until early elementary school: the role of social competence

OBJECTIVE

Using a short-term longitudinal design, this study examined the concurrent and longitudinal relationships among familial socioeconomic status (SES; i.e., family income and maternal and paternal education levels), marital conflict (i.e., constructive and destructive marital conflict), parenting practices (i.e., positive and negative parenting practices), child social competence (i.e., social skills), and child behavioral adjustment (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems) in a comprehensive model.

METHODS

The sample included a total of 1604 preschoolers aged 5 years at Time 1 and first graders aged 6 years at Time 2 (51.5% male). Parents completed a self-reported questionnaire regarding their SES, marital conflict, parenting practices, and their children's behavioral adjustment. Teachers also evaluated the children's social competence.

RESULTS

The path analysis results revealed that Time 1 family income and maternal and paternal education levels were respectively related to Time 1 social skills and Time 2 internalizing and externalizing problems, both directly and indirectly, through their influence on destructive and constructive marital conflict, as well as negative and positive parenting practices. Notably, after controlling for Time 1 behavioral problems as mediating mechanisms in the link between family factors (i.e., SES, marital conflict, and parenting practices) and behavioral adjustment, Time 1 social skills significantly and inversely influenced both the internalization and externalization of problems at Time 2.

CONCLUSIONS

The merit of examining SES, marital conflict, and parenting practices as multidimensional constructs is discussed in relation to an understanding of processes and pathways within families that affect child mental health functioning. The results suggest social competence, which is influenced by the multidimensional constructs of family factors, may prove protective in reducing the risk of child maladjustment, especially for children who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

The role of parental marital discord in the etiology of externalizing problems during childhood and adolescence

Previous research has established that parental marital discord is associated with higher levels of offspring externalizing behaviors, but it is unclear how parental relationship functioning is associated with the genetic and environmental variance on a factor of externalizing problems. Thus, the current study assessed how parental marital discord moderates genetic and environmental variance on offspring externalizing problems at two different ages: childhood and late adolescence. That is, the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on offspring externalizing at ages 11 and 17 was examined as a function of parental marital discord. Consistent with a diathesis-stress model of psychopathology, it was hypothesized that with increasing marital discord, genetic influences on externalizing would be more pronounced. Rather, results indicated that for the 11-year-old sample, nonshared environmental influences were greater when parental marital discord was low, and comparatively, shared environmental influences contributed more to the variance in externalizing problems when parental marital discord was high. No moderation was found for the 17-year-old cohort. In contrast to studies that do not find an effect of the shared environment, these results provide evidence that the common rearing environment has an impact on externalizing problems in preadolescent children.

Parents as Partners: A U.K. Trial of a U.S. Couples-Based Parenting Intervention For At-Risk Low-Income Families

Despite the well-established links between couple relationship quality and healthy family functioning, and burgeoning evidence from the international intervention field, there is little or no evidence of the efficacy of couples-based interventions from the United Kingdom (U.K.). This study explored whether the Parents as Partners (PasP) program, a group-based intervention developed in the United States, brought about the same benefits in the U.K. The evaluation is based on 97 couples with children from communities with high levels of need, recruited to PasP because they are at high risk for parent and child psychopathology. Both mothers and fathers completed self-report questionnaires assessing parents' psychological distress, parenting stress, couple relationship quality and conflict, fathers' involvement in child care and, importantly, children's adjustment. Multilevel modeling analysis comparing parents' responses pre- and postintervention not only showed substantial improvements for both parents on multiple measures of couple relationship quality, but also improvements in parent and child psychopathology. Analyses also indicated most substantial benefits for couples displaying poorest functioning at baseline. The findings provide initial evidence for the successful implementation of PasP, an American-origin program, in the U.K., and add support for the concept of the couple relationship as a resource by which to strengthen families.

Effects of the interparental relationship on adolescents' emotional security and adjustment: The important role of fathers

We examined the mediational roles of multiple types of adolescents' emotional security in relations between multiple aspects of the interparental relationship and adolescents' mental health from ages 13 to 16 (N = 392). General marital quality, nonviolent parent conflict, and physical intimate partner violence independently predicted mental health. Security in the father-adolescent relationship, over and above security with the mother and security in regard to parent conflict, mediated the link from general marital quality to adolescents' mental health. With 2 exceptions, paths were stable for boys and girls, biological- and stepfathers, and Anglo- and Mexican Americans. The findings reveal the need to expand the traditional foci on parent conflict and relationships with mothers to include general marital quality and relationships with fathers. (PsycINFO Database Record

A process model of the implications of spillover from coparenting conflicts into the parent-child attachment relationship in adolescence

Drawing on a two-wave, multimethod, multi-informant design, this study provides the first test of a process model of spillover specifying why and how disruptions in the coparenting relationship influence the parent-adolescent attachment relationship. One hundred ninety-four families with an adolescent aged 12-14 (M age = 12.4) were followed for 1 year. Mothers and adolescents participated in two experimental tasks designed to elicit behavioral expressions of parent and adolescent functioning within the attachment relationship. Using a novel observational approach, maternal safe haven, secure base, and harshness (i.e., hostility and control) were compared as potential unique mediators of the association between conflict in the coparenting relationship and adolescent problems. Path models indicated that, although coparenting conflicts were broadly associated with maternal parenting difficulties, only secure base explained the link to adolescent adjustment. Adding further specificity to the process model, maternal secure base support was uniquely associated with adolescent adjustment through deficits in adolescents' secure exploration. Results support the hypothesis that coparenting disagreements undermine adolescent adjustment in multiple domains specifically by disrupting mothers' ability to provide a caregiving environment that supports adolescent exploration during a developmental period in which developing autonomy is a crucial stage-salient task.

Neuroendocrine mechanisms for parental sensitivity: overview, recent advances and future directions

Early parent-infant relationships play important roles in infants' development. New parents adapt to the developing relationship with their infants to coordinate parenting behaviors in the milieu of infant needs, hormones, moods, and stress. This review highlights research from the past two years, using non-invasive brain-imaging techniques and naturalistic tasks in mothers and fathers in relation to psychological, and endocrine measures. Recent work also connects parental brain physiology with parental sensitive behavior, parent/child outcomes and parent psychotherapy. Understanding neurobiological mechanisms underlying parenting thoughts, behaviors and moods (see Figure 1) will help identify mental health risks and contribute to parental mental health interventions and resilience.

Gender differences in the association between emotional maltreatment with mental, emotional, and behavioral problems in Swedish adolescents

Emotional maltreatment is a common form of child abuse with a powerful negative impact on mental health. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of emotional maltreatment on mental health and mental well-being in a general population of Swedish 12- to 13-year old girls and boys. Data was collected via self-report questionnaires in classroom settings from 1134 students. Emotional maltreatment had significant effects on mental health and mental well-being for both girls and boys. Moreover, there were significant interaction effects between gender and levels of emotional maltreatment. Girls reported decreased mental health and mental well-being at lower degrees of emotional maltreatment compared to boys. Furthermore, girls reported larger decreases in mental health in response to exposure of emotional maltreatment. For internalizing symptoms, mental well-being and psychosomatic symptoms, exposure level of emotional maltreatment seemed to magnify the gender differences. For externalizing symptoms, there were no differences between girls and boys in the group reporting no emotional maltreatment and the increase in externalizing symptoms were of equal magnitude for both genders. Given the impact of emotional maltreatment on mental health in the general population, results from this study implies that a trauma-informed perspective is necessary in understanding gender differences in mental health in early adolescence. Further research is needed in order to understand the underlying processes generating the differences in girls and boys responses to emotional maltreatment.

The Relationship Between Father Involvement and Child Problem Behaviour in Intact Families: A 7-Year Cross-Lagged Study

This study investigated the cross-lagged relationship between father involvement and child problem behaviour across early-to-middle childhood, and tested whether temperament modulated any cross-lagged child behaviour effects on father involvement. It used data from the first four waves of the UK's Millennium Cohort Study, when children (50.3 % male) were aged 9 months, and 3, 5 and 7 years. The sample was 8302 families where both biological parents were co-resident across the four waves. Father involvement (participation in play and physical and educational activities with the child) was measured at ages 3, 5 and 7, as was child problem behaviour (assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). Key child and family covariates related to father involvement and child problem behaviour were controlled. Little evidence was found that more father involvement predicted less child problem behaviour two years later, with the exception of father involvement at child's age 5 having a significant, but small, effect on peer problems at age 7. There were two child effects. More hyperactive children at age 3 had more involved fathers at age 5, and children with more conduct problems at age 3 had more involved fathers at age 5. Child temperament did not moderate any child behaviour effects on father involvement. Thus, in young, intact UK families, child adjustment appears to predict, rather than be predicted by, father involvement in early childhood. When children showed more problematic behaviours, fathers did not become less involved. In fact, early hyperactivity and conduct problems in children seemed to elicit more involvement from fathers. At school age, father involvement appeared to affect children's social adjustment rather than vice versa.

Marital relationship, parenting practices, and social skills development in preschool children

BACKGROUND

This study examined the pathways by which destructive and constructive marital conflict leading to social skills development in preschool children, are mediated through negative and positive parenting practices.

METHODS

Mothers of 2931 Japanese children, aged 5-6 years, completed self-report questionnaires regarding their marital relationship (the Quality of co-parental communication scale) and parental practices (the Alabama parenting questionnaire). The children's teachers evaluated their social skills using the Social skills scale.

RESULTS

Path analyses revealed significant direct paths from destructive marital conflict to negative parenting practices and lower scores on the self-control component of social skills. In addition, negative parenting practices mediated the relationship between destructive marital conflict and lower scores on cooperation, self-control, and assertion. Our analyses also revealed significant direct paths from constructive marital conflict to positive parenting practices, and higher scores on cooperation and assertion. Positive parenting practices mediated the relationship between constructive marital conflict and higher scores on self-control and assertion.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that destructive and constructive marital conflict may directly and indirectly influence children's social skills development through the mediation of parenting practices.

Typologies of Post-divorce Coparenting and Parental Well-Being, Parenting Quality and Children's Psychological Adjustment

The aim of this study was to identify post-divorce coparenting profiles and examine whether these profiles differentiate between levels of parents' well-being, parenting practices, and children's psychological problems. Cluster analysis was conducted with Portuguese heterosexual divorced parents (N = 314) to yield distinct post-divorce coparenting patterns. Clusters were based on parents' self-reported coparenting relationship assessed along four dimensions: agreement, exposure to conflict, undermining/support, and division of labor. A three cluster solution was found and replicated. Parents in the high-conflict coparenting group exhibited significantly lower life satisfaction, as well as significantly higher divorce-related negative affect and inconsistent parenting than parents in undermining and cooperative coparenting clusters. The cooperative coparenting group reported higher levels of positive family functioning and lower externalizing and internalizing problems in their children. These results suggested that a positive coparenting alliance may be a protective factor for individual and family outcomes after parental divorce.

Positivity and Negativity in Interparental Conflict

Abstract. Although children are known to be highly sensitive to interparental conflict, important questions remain regarding which specific combinations of positive and negative behaviors as well as verbal and nonverbal expressions are most predictive of children’s perceptions. In this pilot study, we examined observational data on interparental conflict as predictors of children’s reports of perceived threat and insecurity in 43 families. Fathers’ nonverbal negativity was strongly linked to children’s perceived threat and insecure family representations, but both parents’ nonverbal and mothers’ verbal positivity buffered its impact on children. Our findings support previous research findings that parents’ negativity may have less adverse effects on children when it takes place in a positive family climate.