Dynamic Mechanisms of Interparental Conflict Perception on Children's Maladjustment: Response Styles Mediation

ABSTRACT This 3‐month longitudinal study examined dynamic pathways linking children's interparental conflict perception to maladjustment, with 513 Chinese fourth‐ to sixth‐graders (aged 9–13 years) assessed via the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale, Security in the Interparental Subsystem Scales, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at two timepoints. Latent change score models revealed: (1) baseline interparental conflict perception (T1) positively predicted increases in children's emotional reactivity, avoidance, and internalizing/externalizing problems from T1 to T2; (2) changes in emotional reactivity and avoidance mediated conflict perception's effects on internalizing/externalizing problems, whereas involvement changes showed no mediation. Findings validate EST's dynamic pathways in Chinese collectivistic contexts, revealing that emotional reactivity and avoidance, rather than involvement, function as primary risk mechanisms, underscoring the necessity for culturally informed interventions that specifically target children's emotion regulation and avoidance coping to mitigate intergenerational transmission of interparental conflict effects.