Children's behavioural reactions to marital conflict as a function of parents' conflict behaviours and alcohol problems

Abstract

This paper examines how children's previous exposure to destructive marital conflict and parental problem drinking relate to children's immediate and specific behavioural reactions to marital conflict. Data are from 215 second-graders and their families participating in a larger study. Children watched analogues of marital conflict and indicated their behavioural response. Parents completed questionnaire measures of marital conflict and drinking problems. Children's exposure to marital stonewalling was associated with increased child intervention in conflict and decreased avoidance of conflict. Exposure to maternal drinking was related to child caretaking responses to escalated conflict. Exposure to paternal drinking was related to child mediation and avoidance of child-related conflict, but inactive response to escalated conflict. Boys were more likely to mediate and less likely to avoid escalated conflict.

Acknowledgments

Preparation of this paper was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (Project R01 MH57318) awarded to Patrick Davies and E. Mark Cummings.

The authors are grateful to the children, parents, teachers, and school administrators who participated in this project. Their gratitude is also expressed to the staff who assisted on various stages of the project, including: Courtney Forbes, Marcie Goeke-Morey, Courtney Henry, Amy Keller, Michelle Sutton, and the graduate and undergraduate students of the University of Rochester and University of Notre Dame.