Interparental conflict and child adjustment: main concepts and research findings

This is a review study of theoretical frameworks and research findings concerning the relationship between marital conflict and children’s response. The main focus is on understanding the mechanisms connecting marital conflict to child adjustment. Two main theoretical models are discussed, namely, Cognitive-Contextual Framework by Grych and Fincham (1990) and Emotional Security Hypothesis by Davies and Cummings (1994). The analysis shows that marital conflicts are associated with a wide range of children’s adjustment problems. Parental destructive conflict patterns are associated with children’s behavioral problems, whereas positive emotionality and constructive conflict resolution lead to children’s positive or even neutral reactions to marital problems. Results are presented on how useful psychoeducational programs are for parents that prevent negative marital conflict effects on children.