Links have long been reported between marital discord and children’s ad justment problems (e.g., Baruch & Wilcox, 1944; Hubbard & Adams, 1936; Towle, 1931), with children from high conflict homes more vulnerable to both externalizing and internalizing disorders (Emery, 1982; Fincham & Os borne, 1993; Grych & Fincham, 1990; Katz & Gottman, 1993). Increased risk is due to the “direct effects” of repeated exposure to interspousal and familial negativity and conflict (Cummings & Davies, 1994; Davies & Cum mings, 1994; Emery, Fincham, & Cummings, 1992), and “indirect effects” of diminished parenting induced by marital discord (Cox & Owen, 1993; Cox, Owen, Lewis, & Henderson, 1989; Cummings & O’Reilly, 1997; Katz & Gottman, 1995a). Marital conflict is also linked to children’s increased vulnerability to adjustment problems in families experiencing divorce (Amato & Keith, 1991; Amato, Loomis, & Booth, 1995; Booth & Amato, 1994), parental depression (Downey & Coyne, 1990), and sexual or physical abuse (Browne & Finkelhor, 1986; Jouriles, Barling, & O’Leary, 1987).
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Cummings et al. (1998) studied this question.