NCJ Number
212893
Journal
Journal of Emotional Abuse Volume: 5 Issue: 2/3 Dated: 2005 Pages: 143-167
Date Published
2005
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This article reviews research findings regarding the effects of marital conflict on family and parenting processes and, subsequently, on child development.
Abstract
Research findings suggest that marital and parenting relationships are interwoven and that conflict within marital relationships can “spill over” into the parenting relationships, producing adverse outcomes for child well-being. Although additional research is necessary, recent findings show how marital covert conflict styles are associated with boundary breaks in the parent-child relationship, leading to inappropriate parental psychological control over children. Given the impact of marital conflict on family processes and child development, intervention strategies should occur at the family-level domain and should focus on identifying and altering conflictual behavior patterns that are harmful to children. Current interventions for adults and children are reviewed and the challenges to an integrative intervention that focuses on the family as a unit are enumerated. Challenges involve the problem of recruitment and venue for conducting psychological research, the lack of research on healthy family processes, and the lack of understanding regarding the association between interpersonal conflict and child well-being. Future research should focus greater attention on child outcomes related to family processes and marital relations. References