NCJ Number
161995
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1996) Pages: 81-91
Date Published
1996
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study partially replicates and extends the Jaycox and Repetti study (1993), which addressed the individual contributions of family conflict and marital conflict to child functioning.
Abstract
The study used the same measure of general family conflict (Family Environment Scale) and the same measure of marital satisfaction (Dyadic Adjustment Scale). This study also paralleled the previous study in assessing the child's functioning at home and school; however, the previous study was extended in several ways. The most important extension involved the use of an additional measure; the O'Leary-Porter Scale was used to assess marital conflict that occurred in front of the child. This study hypothesized that such conflict would contribute to the prediction of child functioning. A second extension involved a longitudinal analysis. Study participants were 146 adolescents (70 boys and 76 girls), their mothers, and their social studies teachers. Mothers completed measures of marital and general family conflict. Both mothers and teachers completed measures of child functioning at two points in time separated by 1 year. Consistent with the earlier findings, general family conflict was more predictive of child adjustment problems than marital satisfaction; however, marital conflict that occurred in front of the child was equally predictive of child problem behaviors as was general family conflict. 3 tables and 21 references