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In this multi-informant, longitudinal, daily diary study, we investigated whether long-term dyadic patterns of marital conflict resolution explain the heterogeneity in short-term day-to-day cross-lagged associations between marital conflict intensity and mother-adolescent conflict intensity. The sample consisted of 419 adolescents (44.6% girls, M age  = 13.02, SD = 0.44, at T1; M age  = 17.02, SD = 0.44, at T5), their mothers (N = 419, M age  = 44.48, SD = 4.17, at T1), and their fathers (N = 419, M age  = 46.76, SD = 4.99, at T1). Mothers and fathers reported on their marital conflict resolution strategies annually across 5 years. Mother-father daily conflict intensity (mother-reported) and mother-adolescent daily conflict intensity (mother- and adolescent-reported) were assessed for 75 days across 5 years. We hypothesized that long-term marital conflict resolution patterns would moderate the short-term daily dynamics of conflict between the marital and the mother-adolescent dyads. Latent Class Growth Analysis revealed four types of families based on long-term dyadic marital conflict resolution, including families where mostly constructive or mostly destructive conflict resolution was used. Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the daily levels and short-term daily dynamics of conflict, revealing that for most families there were no day-to-day lagged associations between marital conflict and mother-adolescent conflict. Results showed that long-term conflict resolution patterns did not moderate the short-term dynamics of daily conflict. However, differences among long-term marital conflict resolution patterns were found in the levels of daily conflict, such that in families with long-term destructive conflict resolution patterns, daily conflict intensity was higher., (© 2021 The Authors. Family Process published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Family Process Institute.)

Parents of 5- to 12-year-old children (half had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder [ASD] and half were typically developing) provided reports of the most significant marital conflict of the day and ratings of child behaviors problems on a daily basis for 14 days. Mothers and fathers in the ASD group reported having more conflicts in daily life with any children present and more conflicts with the target child present than their counterparts with typically developing children did. Fathers (but not mothers) in the ASD group reported more conflicts as including child-related themes, although parents across the groups did not differ in their reporting marital conflict that specifically discussed the study's target child. Results from multilevel modeling revealed within-person associations between child presence during marital conflict and parents' emotions; specifically, child presence was related to lower dyadic positivity and higher dyadic anger, according to both mothers and fathers. In addition, results identified significant, positive within-person associations between child presence during marital conflict and discussing certain conflict topics (increased likelihoods of discussing any children and the study's target children). These direct associations were found consistently across mothers' and fathers' reports, and did not vary across ASD and comparison families. Multilevel models focused on implications of the marital conflict for the study's target children generally found child presence during conflict and discussion of child-themed conflict topics to predict higher levels of behavior problems in daily life. One moderating effect was identified, with child presence during conflict related to higher behavior problems according to mothers in the ASD group but not those in the comparison group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

The current study represents the first longitudinal investigation of the potential effects of breastfeeding duration on maternal sensitivity over the following decade. This study also examined whether infant attachment security at 24 months would mediate longitudinal relations between breastfeeding duration and changes in maternal sensitivity over time. Using data from 1,272 families from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, we found that longer breastfeeding duration (assessed up to age 3) predicted increases in observed maternal sensitivity up to child age 11, after accounting for maternal neuroticism, parenting attitudes, ethnicity, maternal years of education, and presence of a romantic partner. Additionally, secure attachment at 24 months was predicted by breastfeeding duration, but it did not act as a mediator of the link from breastfeeding duration to maternal sensitivity in this study. Generating a more specific understanding of how breastfeeding impacts the mother-child dyad beyond infancy will inform recommendations for best practices regarding breastfeeding. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).)

Background: Guided by a family systems perspective, this study investigated whether breastfeeding plays a role in the quality of the mother-father intimate relationship over the course of child development., Methods: Using a prospective, longitudinal design, and data drawn from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n=986 couples), the present study examined the predictive role of breastfeeding in the first 3 years of life (for up to 4 months and for 5 months or longer, relative to never breastfeeding) in maternal and paternal trajectories of intimate relationship quality. The outcome variable of interest was emotional intimacy, rated by mothers and fathers when children were 54 months of age, in grades 1, 3, 5, and 6, and 15 years of age., Results: Multivariate hierarchical linear modeling, which appropriately handled dyadic data and accounted for effects of demographic covariates and earlier relationship quality, indicated that breastfeeding uniquely predicted increases in mothers' (but not fathers') marital quality levels over time. There was no difference in the strength of the positive associations for shorter versus longer breastfeeding duration. The findings suggest that improved intimate relationship quality may be another psychosocial benefit experienced by breastfeeding mothers., Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of considering breastfeeding in the context of intimate relationships and may be of interest to women weighing the decision to breastfeed, their partners, and healthcare providers.

The longitudinal course and quality of intimate relationships were tested in relation to maternal depressive symptoms in a sample of 1,275 families from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Assessments of mothers' intimate relationship status, intimate relationship quality, and depressive symptoms were obtained on 11 occasions from the birth of a child through age 15. Consistent with predictions, results from hierarchical linear models indicated that maternal depressive symptoms over time were associated with a lower probability of being married and lower levels of relationship quality. The strength of the association between relationship quality and depression was stronger than the linkage between relationship course and depression. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., mother age, child gender, ethnicity) were more predictive of trajectories of relationship course than relationship quality. Findings are discussed in terms of efforts to prevent and treat the longitudinal interplay between poor intimate relationship functioning and partners' psychopathology and its implications for the overall health and well-being of parents, couples, and children.

Addressing a gap in methodological approaches to the study of links between marital conflict and children, 51 couples were trained to complete home diary reports on everyday marital conflicts and children's responses. Parental negative emotionality and destructive conflict tactics related to children's insecure emotional and behavioral responses. Parental positive emotionality and constructive conflict tactics were linked with children's secure emotional responding. When parents' emotions and tactics were considered in the same model, negative emotionality was more consistently related to children's negative reactions than were destructive conflict tactics, whereas constructive conflict tactics were more consistently related to children's positive reactions than parents' positive emotionality. Differences in children's responding as a function of specific parental negative emotions (anger, sadness, fear) and parent gender were identified.