NCJ Number
224865
Journal
Journal of Early Adolescence Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 555-582
Date Published
November 2008
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of interparental conflict on children’s psychological adjustment.
Abstract
Results show that threat appraisals predicted increased avoidance, while self-blame appraisals predicted increased over involvement in conflict. The relationship between self-blame and later over involvement is consistent with previous research suggesting that feeling responsible for marital conflict provides children with a sense of coping efficacy and perceived control over conflict, which increases the likelihood of involvement; self-blame continued to exert direct effects on externalizing problems 12 months later when estimated in the context of coping strategies. While this finding indicates that self-blame is an important predictor of behavior problems in adolescents exposed to conflict, it also suggests that mechanisms other than increased over involvement in conflict account for why adolescents who feel at fault for parents’ arguments go on to manifest heightened externalizing problems. For instance, adolescents who feel responsible for parents’ arguments, yet are unable or perhaps prevented from intervening, may express their frustration and distress in the form of anger and acting out. Gender differences were found whereby marital conflict exerted direct effects on boys’ coping behavior, while for girls, effects were indirect through their self-blame and threat appraisals. Implications for interventions aimed at ameliorating the effects of interparental conflict on children are discussed. Data were collected from 252 adolescents (122 boys, 130 girls, age 11 to 12 years) from the United Kingdom, their parents, and their teachers. Table, figures, and references