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A notable ambiguity persists concerning whether distinct forms of parent-child triangulation (unstable coercive coalition, stable coalition, detouring-attacking, detouring supportive, parentification) might mediate the association between interparental conflict and early adolescent depressive symptoms similarly within the context of Chinese Confucianism. Filling this research gap, this study aimed to examine the mediating role of the five dimensions of parent-child triangulation in the association between interparental conflict and early adolescent depressive symptoms, as well as the moderating effect of grandparent support on this mediating pathway. Data were drawn from a sample of 761 Chinese adolescents (M age = 12.82 ± 0.47, 49.1% girls). Structural equation model analyses indicated that unstable coercive coalition, stable coalition, and detouring-attacking behaviors partially mediated the association between interparental conflict and adolescent depressive symptoms, while detouring-supportive behaviors and parentification did not demonstrate such mediating effects. Unlike Western societies, a negative correlation was observed between interparental conflict and parentification in the context of China. Grandparent support mitigated the adverse effects of both interparental conflict and the unstable coercive coalition on early adolescent depressive symptoms.

Although exposure to interparental conflict (IPC) in late childhood and adolescence appears to be a robust risk factor for the development of child psychopathology, less work has examined how very early exposure to IPC poses risk for the development of psychopathology in the first 2 years of life. Further, it is unclear whether IPC is uniquely related to child psychopathology relative to other critical dimensions of the interparental relationship. This study aimed to investigate the unique effects of IPC and low levels of emotional intimacy in the interparental relationship during pregnancy and infancy on toddler psychopathology and whether children with higher negative emotionality during infancy were most vulnerable to these conditions. One hundred fifty-one cohabitating couples completed semistructured interviews and questionnaires once during pregnancy and three times postpartum. Results demonstrated that consistent and sustained interparental emotional intimacy, first observed during pregnancy and persisting throughout infancy, was a unique predictor of toddler psychopathology, controlling for sustained and persistent exposure to IPC. The negative association between emotional intimacy and toddler general psychopathology was stronger at higher levels of infant negative emotionality. Results highlight the importance of early exposure to a warm, affectionate interparental relationship for healthy child socioemotional development. These findings have potential for informing early prevention and intervention efforts, including prenatal programs, aimed at reducing psychopathology across the lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spillover from interparental conflict (IPC) to the parent–child relationship is a risk factor for adolescent emotional, social, and behavioral maladjustment. Parental depression increases the risk for more frequent and intense IPC over periods of months to years, but relatively little is known about whether parental depressive symptoms increase the risk for IPC and/or the propensity for spillover on short timescales. Using daily diary methods, we tested two hypotheses to evaluate whether parental depressive symptoms predict increased risk for IPC spillover: (a) a stress generation hypothesis, in which higher levels of parental depressive symptoms are associated with a greater tendency to experience IPC, which elevates risk for spillover, and (b) a spillover propensity hypothesis, in which parental depressive symptoms strengthen the within-person linkage between daily couple conflict and poorer parent–adolescent relations. We analyzed data from 150 adolescents and caregivers from two-caregiver families who completed baseline and 21-day daily diary surveys. Consistent with a stress generation hypothesis, parents who were higher in baseline depressive symptoms reported higher levels of IPC over 21 days. At the daily level, there was evidence of spillover from IPC to higher parent–adolescent conflict and lower parent–adolescent closeness, but there was no evidence for increased propensity for spillover by parents' baseline depressive symptoms or daily depressed mood. Rather, there was a direct association between higher daily parental depressed mood and poorer daily parent–adolescent relationship quality (lower closeness, higher conflict). Ameliorating parental depressive symptoms may improve parent–adolescent relationship quality directly, as well as indirectly by decreasing the risk for IPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental work-family conflict undermines family functioning, which in turn may impair children's peer functioning. Using a longitudinal design spanning across 2 years, the present study examined whether paternal/maternal work-family conflict could predict interparental conflict and, in turn, whether such conflict contributed to adolescent affiliation with deviant peers. Additionally, this study also explored the moderating role of adolescent mindfulness on these relationships. As part of a large longitudinal project, 1427 adolescents (773 boys and 654 girls; aged from 12 to 15 years, M = 12.66 years, SD = 0.63) completed questionnaires regarding perceived interparental conflict, deviant peer affiliation, and mindfulness, and both parents reported on questionnaires regarding their own work-family conflict at three-time points with 1-year intervals. Results indicated that paternal but not maternal work-family conflict positively predicted interparental conflict, which was further positively predictive of deviant peer affiliation for adolescents with low but not high mindfulness. Our study revealed the role of paternal work-family conflict as a seemingly distal but relatively proximal risk factor for adolescents' affiliation with deviant peers, as well as the buffering role of mindfulness on the longitudinal relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional reactivity has been linked to adolescent psychopathology and mental health problems. However, limited research has investigated the distinct associations between emotional reactivity in multiple interpersonal contexts and the development of adolescent psychopathology. The current study examined emotional reactivity to interparental conflict, parent-adolescent conflict, and school problems as predictors of adolescent internalizing problems, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms six months later. The sample included 139 adolescents (54% girls; Mage = 13.30, SDage = 0.73) and their parents who completed 10-day daily reports and 6-month follow-up assessments in Taiwan. Results showed that negative emotional reactivity to interparental conflict was associated with increased internalizing problems, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms, after controlling for emotional reactivity to parent-adolescent conflict and school problems, outcomes at baseline, mean negative emotions, and sex. Furthermore, the associations between both positive and negative emotional reactivity to interparental conflict and adolescent anxiety symptoms was stronger for girls than boys. Findings suggested that heightened emotional reactivity to interparental conflict is a risk factor for predicting adolescent psychopathology, especially for girls' anxiety symptoms. Results highlight the importance of emotional reactivity across multiple interpersonal contexts in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Background Method Results Conclusion Implications Guided by the emotional security theory and tripartite model of children's emotion regulation (e.g., Davies & Cummings, 1994; Morris et al., 2007), this study examined the indirect influence of both adolescent and parent reported interparental conflict on the concurrent link between parent and adolescent emotion regulation.There is strong empirical evidence of a direct link between parent and offspring emotion regulation. However, very little is known about how interparental conflict might serve as a mechanism linking parent and adolescent emotion regulation.The sample consisted of 70 parents and their adolescent children (Mage = 14.59, SD = 1.44). Both parents and adolescents self‐reported on levels of interparental conflict and their own emotion regulation difficulties through Qualtrics software.Findings from a structural equation model indicated that parental emotion dysregulation was associated with higher levels of self‐ and adolescent‐reported interparental conflict. However, only adolescent‐reported interparental conflict was associated with adolescent emotion dysregulation, which further emerged as a significant indirect effect. Post hoc analyses indicated that conflict frequency may drive the parent–child emotion regulation link.These results highlight interparental conflict as a potential mechanism in the parent–child emotion regulation link and also emphasize the importance of considering children's reports of interparental conflict.Interparental conflict might be an important target for intervention efforts when trying to implement healthy emotion regulation development in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What mechanisms underlie the relationship between parental depressive symptoms and adolescents' depressive symptoms? To address this question, this study aimed to investigate a multi-informant process model in which both maternal and paternal depressive symptoms predict adolescents' depressive symptoms through interparental conflict and adolescent triangulation in these conflicts. The sample comprised 714 participants, including 238 mothers (Mage = 44.68, SD = 5.58; age range: 29 to 59 years), 238 fathers (Mage = 48.04, SD = 5.74; age range: 33 to 64 years), and 238 adolescents (Mage = 15.71, SD = 2.04; age range: 11 to 18 years; 50.8% of them were female). Measures included the O'Leary-Porter Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, and the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale. Path analysis revealed that maternal reports of interparental conflict and adolescent-reported triangulation mediated the relationship between both maternal and paternal depressive symptoms and adolescents' depressive symptoms. Additionally, paternal reports of interparental conflict and adolescent-reported triangulation mediated the relationship between paternal depressive symptoms and adolescents' depressive symptoms. These findings were interpreted within the framework of family systems theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Our aim is to construct a moderated mediation model for investigating the effect of interparental conflict on social anxiety, the potential mediating role of psychological resilience, the moderating effect of perceived social support on this association, and the gender difference among Chinese college students. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1343 Chinese college students from Anhui Province, Hunan Province, Jiangsu Province, and Henan Province, China, in March 2024. Pearson correlation, mediation effects analyses, and multiple-group comparison were conducted. Results: (1) Interparental conflict and social anxiety varied significantly with gender, while the interparental conflict (t = − 3.998, p < 0.001) and social anxiety (t = − 4.644, p < 0.001) in the female group were significantly more severe than in the male group. However, there was no significant difference in interparental conflict and social anxiety between different grades (p > 0.05); (2) Interparental conflict positively predicts social anxiety; (3) The relationship between interparental conflict and social anxiety is mediated by psychological resilience; (4) The relationship between interparental conflict and psychological resilience is moderated by perceived social support; (5) The mediating effect was found only in women, but the moderating effect was no gender difference. Conclusion: It is crucial to recognize and cultivate the psychological resilience of college students and to provide them with appropriate high social support. This is conducive to alleviating the social anxiety suffered by college students and promote their psycho-social well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relation between interparental conflict and cortisol recovery, with child temperamental negative affectivity as the moderator. Children (n = 118) ages 9–11 years observed an argument between their parents in the lab and provided saliva samples for cortisol assays. Children also reported levels of interparental conflict, and mothers reported their child's negative affectivity. Results showed that youths with high levels of negative affectivity experienced less cortisol recovery as interparental conflict levels increased. Further, demonstrating some support for differential susceptibility, youths with higher levels of negative affectivity exhibited less recovery at high levels of parental conflict but greater recovery at low levels of parental conflict, compared to peers with lower scores on negative affectivity. We also found that children with low levels of negative affectivity exhibited greater recovery as rates of interparental conflict increased. In summary, this study sheds light on sources of variability in cortisol recovery as it relates to interparental disharmony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental illicit substance use is associated with increases in both interparental conflict frequency and children's externalizing behaviors. There is a paucity of research examining the pathways linking these constructs. Assessing parental illicit substance use and interparental conflict frequency simultaneously can illustrate a process that potentially undermines children's behavioral adjustment. Using a sample of stable, long-term couples and their children from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 1,011), the current study used path modeling and a multi-informant approach to examine the link between parental substance use and children's later externalizing behaviors and if interparental conflict frequency mediated this association. Results indicated that parental substance use, assessed at the couple-level, was not associated with children's later externalizing behavior, nor did interparental conflict frequency mediate this association. Post-hoc exploratory analyses found that mothers' substance use was associated with children's later externalizing behaviors, and this effect was stronger than fathers' substance use, which was not associated with children's later functioning. These results highlight the importance of examining how various aspects of substance use and different dimensions of interparental conflict might differentially impact children's outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional security theory explains effects of interparental conflict (IPC) on family relationships. Further, relations between religiosity and marriage have been investigated. The aim of the current study is to establish a relationship between these two separate lines of research. We examined perception of IPC and emotional insecurity among emerging adults and how personal and perceived parental intrinsic religiosity (IR) moderated the association between IPC and emotional insecurity. First, the higher the IPC, the higher the scores on emotional insecurity. Second, moderator effects were found for both personal and perceived paternal IR. The findings implicated a protective role IR against IPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Song Chang,1,2 Yaohua Zhang,1,2 Chunxu Wang,1 Fan Xu,1 Yunyun Huang,1,2 Sufei Xin1,2 1College of Education, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 2Collaborative Innovation Center for the Mental Health of Youth from the Era of Conversion of New and Old Kinetic Energy along the Yellow River Basin, Yantai, Shandong, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Sufei Xin, College of Education, Ludong University; Collaborative Innovation Center for the Mental Health of Youth from the Era of Conversion of New and Old Kinetic Energy along the Yellow River Basin, No. 186, Hongqi Middle Road, Yantai, Shandong, People’s Republic of China, Email xinsufei2016@ldu.edu.cnPurpose: The alleviating effects of a growth mindset on depression are promising. However, whether a growth mindset can attenuate the effect of low family socioeconomic status (SES) on depressive symptoms among adolescents remains unknown. Based on the Family Stress Model, the current study explores whether a growth mindset could moderate the associations between family SES, interparental conflict, and adolescent depressive symptoms.Methods: The participants were 1572 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 13.35 years, SD = 1.16, 51.84% female). They completed the family SES questionnaire, Children’s Perceptions of Interparental Conflict scale, Growth Mindset scale, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. We tested the moderation, mediation, and moderated mediation models using the SPSS macro program PROCESS.Results: A growth mindset moderated the association between family SES and depressive symptoms. Family SES was significantly related to depressive symptoms in adolescents with a lower growth mindset, but not in those with a higher growth mindset. After incorporating the mediating effect of interparental conflict, the growth mindset did not exert a significant moderating influence on the direct path; however, it significantly moderated the mediating effect of interparental conflict on depressive symptoms. Specifically, while a lower growth mindset in adolescents was associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms due to interparental conflict, those with a higher growth mindset showed a less pronounced effect.Conclusion: A growth mindset attenuates the link between family SES and depressive symptoms among adolescents. These findings highlight the benefits of a growth mindset on mental health, especially for low-SES adolescents.Keywords: growth mindset, socioeconomic status, depression, adolescent, interparental conflict

Adolescents' general growth is greatly aided by their families, which are crucial in shaping their emotional, behavioral, social, and academic outcomes and interpersonal relationships. The conflict between parents can significantly hinder this growth, leading to externalizing and internalizing behaviors and affecting their overall functioning. This study compiles pertinent data to identify IPC's dimensions, elements, and effects on adolescents. This scoping review examined the literature using both inclusion and exclusion criteria. Out of 120 relevant publications, 15 were evaluated. The publications were found in electronic databases like PubMed, Scopus, Research Gate, and Google Scholar and were published between 2016 and 2023. The search strategy adhered to Arksey and O'Malley's five-step protocol, which included formulating a research question, locating pertinent literature, choosing a subset of the literature for assessment, graphing data from particular publications, and summarizing and presenting the findings. This literature review indicates that IPC is a serious problem that results in adolescents' externalizing behaviors. The results of this scoping review have consequences for policy and practice. Given the significant extent and weight of adolescent exposure to interparental conflict, the need of the time is to develop an intervention program to protect this vulnerable population and reduce their externalizing behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Divorce education programs are often required for divorcing or separating parents with minor children to aid in emotional and practical adjustment. However, there is very little consensus between programs or the evaluation process of programs to demonstrate effectiveness or long‐term outcomes. While some short‐term evaluations have shown significant results, the identification of programs that demonstrate long‐term effects on co‐parenting relationships is still missing. Identifying what programs exist with long‐term outcomes can help pinpoint what content or structure of programming is impactful on families in divorce transitions. To address this research gap, a systematic review of the literature was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines to identify what specific and existing divorce education programs have a follow‐up report of a minimum of 3 months and demonstrate a reduction of co‐parental conflict. Sixteen programs were identified that have at least a minimum 3‐month parent follow‐up report; only four of these programs demonstrated statistically significant reductions in co‐parental conflict. A discussion and critique of the program evaluation articles are within this review. Key Points for the Family Court Community: Reviewing the existing divorce education programs with posttest data of 3 or more months can help identify:Specific divorce education programs that have shown lasting reductions in co‐parental conflict. Legal and mental health professionals can refer these programs to their divorcing clients.Where current divorce education programs need to expand to reach more diverse populations, utilizing new theoretical approaches, advancing measurement, and developing deliberate study designs focused on program effectiveness.Points of collaboration and common elements across programs to increase uniformity and effectiveness in divorce education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between residence arrangements and depressive and anxiety symptoms from children's perspective and the moderating role of interparental conflict. The sample included 454 children from families recruited from family counselling offices across Norway. Mixed effects regression models assessed the association between four residence groups – symmetric shared, asymmetric shared, extended sole, and limited sole – and children's mental health symptoms. Findings indicate that children in different residence arrangements generally displayed similar levels of mental health symptoms, except those in asymmetric shared residence reported fewer depressive symptoms compared to those in limited sole residence. Higher interparental conflict was associated with increased anxiety symptoms, particularly in symmetric shared residence. These results suggest that shared residence may not always be in the child's best interest when there are high levels of interparental conflict. The study reveals variations within the traditional categorizations of "shared" and "sole" residence, highlighting the importance of nuanced differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents has become a serious public health problem in many countries. Based on the integrated theoretical model of NSSI and the framework of developmental psychopathology, we tested the mediating mechanisms and the moderator of the association between interparental conflict and NSSI by constructing a moderated serial mediation model. 589 adolescents (50.1% girls; ages 12–19 years) were recruited from a secondary school in China. Participants anonymously completed questionnaires regarding interparental conflict, harsh parenting, identity confusion, friendship quality, and NSSI. Regression analysis showed that interparental conflict was positively associated with adolescent NSSI, and this association was mediated by harsh parenting and identity confusion independently. Interparental conflict also indirectly predicted NSSI through the serial mediation effect of harsh parenting and identity confusion. Friendship quality weakened the relationship between identity confusion and NSSI. The findings are consistent with the framework of developmental psychopathology, and highlight the important role of friendship quality in the prevention and intervention of NSSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Norway, as in most Western countries, a growing proportion of parents living apart choose shared residence for their children. The aim of this study was to investigate trajectories of five interparental conflict dimensions across four child residence arrangement groups (and three combination groups) to improve understanding of different conflict trajectories when parents live apart. We used data from the Dynamics of Family Conflict study. Families (N = 1136) were recruited from 37 family counseling centers across Norway. Parents answered questionnaires in three waves: Wave 1 (December 2017 through August 2019); Wave 2 (November 2019 through January 2021); and Wave 3 (April through May 2021). Mixed effects analyses indicated that (a) for all conflict dimensions, there was less conflict and more cooperation over time across all residence arrangements; (b) except for children's involvement in conflict, the conflict dimensions did not develop differently over time between residence arrangements; (c) families with arrangements in which one parent had minority time (1%–14% and 15%–34%) were more likely to report children being involved in their parents' arguments over time than the 35%–49% and 50/50 residence groups; (d) for families with high relational risk pattern, children's involvement in conflict did not decline in either a high (1–34%) or a low degree (35%–49%) of sharing; and (e) families with a violent risk pattern and low degree of sharing (1%–34%) had the steepest decrease in conflict frequency/intensity over time. Even with an average decrease in destructive conflict dimensions over time, the findings point to the need for providing support for parents with complex needs, particularly for parents with a high relational risk pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research clearly demonstrates that conflictual interparental relationship dynamics can create a family context that contributes to child emotional insecurity and psychopathology. Significantly less research has examined familial factors that contribute to maladaptive conflict between parents. Scholars have alluded to the disruptive impacts of parenting a child with certain temperamental characteristics (e.g., negative emotionality). Yet, there is a lack of empirical research examining if and how child temperament contributes to later interparental conflict. Using an established multi‐informant, multi‐method sample of 150 families first assessed during pregnancy, and again when the child was 1, 2, and 3.5 years of age, the present study aimed to test an integrated conceptual model examining whether infants' negative emotionality assessed at age 1 predicts interparental conflict at age 3.5, as mediated through destructive coparenting dynamics in toddlerhood, and identifying prenatal protective factors mitigating this maladaptive pathway. Findings suggest that greater infant negative emotionality predicts worse interparental conflict management during preschool age by undermining the mother's (but not the father's) report of coparenting relationship quality during toddlerhood. However, these results were significant only to the extent that parents were lacking certain prenatal regulatory resources (i.e., low paternal self‐compassion; less secure relationship between parents). Importantly, results point to the need for intervention and prevention efforts during pregnancy that might disrupt the deleterious impacts of parenting a child who is more reactive and prone to expressing negative emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interparental aggression is believed to increase the risk of behavioral disorders in offspring, and offspring behavioral problems may forecast interparental aggression. However, these assumptions have yet to be put to a strong test. This study, therefore, examined whether increased interparental aggression predicted increased symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) from preschool to adolescence and vice versa. Methods: A sample (n = 1,077; 49.6% girls) from two birth cohorts of children in Trondheim, Norway, was assessed biennially from age 4 to 16. Children's symptoms of ODD and CD were assessed using semi‐structured clinical interviews of parents (from age 4) and children (from age 8). One of the parents reported on their own and their partner's verbal and physical aggression. A random intercept cross‐lagged model was estimated to test the within‐family relations between interparental aggression, CD, and ODD symptoms. Results: Across development, increased interparental aggression predicted increased CD symptoms 2 years later, whereas an increased number of ODD symptoms forecasted increased interparental aggression. Conclusions: The argumentative/defiant, aggressive, and vindictive behaviors seen in ODD are often directed toward parents and may take a toll on their relationship and possibly foster interparental aggression, whereas aggression between parents may promote symptoms of CD in their offspring, which commonly extend beyond the home. Incorporating effective and non‐aggressive means to solve interparental conflict into parental management programs may reduce the development of symptoms of CDs in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criticism is a form of interpersonal social rejection and destructive conflict behavior which has been associated with poor relationship outcomes in both parent–child and marital relationships. However, the role of the individual's perceptions of parental and spousal criticism in influencing the perceptions of criticism of other members in the family unit has not been examined. This study investigated the associations between parental bonding and perceptions of parental and spousal criticism across generations in Singapore. In all, 134 Singaporean married parent dyads (G2) and one child (G3) of each dyad were recruited. G2 parent participants completed the Perceived Criticism measure for their parents (G1) and spouses, the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Quality of Marriage Index. G3 children participants completed the Perceived Criticism measure for their parents (G2). Path analysis found that G2 perceptions of parental bonding were significant predictors of G2's perceptions of G1 parental criticism, which significantly predicted both G2's perceptions of spousal criticism and G3's perceptions of G2 parental criticism. Perceptions of spousal criticism were also found to predict marital relationship quality in G2 participants. Findings highlight the intergenerational transmission of perceptions of criticism across relationships in the family unit, providing support that parenting practices and communication patterns in one generation can predict those in the next generation in the Singaporean context. Future studies can look to replicate the findings in other cultures and include further investigations into sibling relationships as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a well-documented interdependency between destructive interparental conflict (IPC) and parenting difficulties (i.e., spillover effect), yet little is known about the mechanisms that "carry" spillover between IPC and parenting. Guided by a cascade model framework, the current study used a longitudinal, multimethod, multi-informant design to examine a process model of spillover that tested whether parental executive functioning (working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control) served as a mediator of the prospective associations between IPC and subsequent changes in parenting over a 2-year period. Mothers and fathers were separated into differentiated models and multiple domains of parenting were examined (i.e., authoritarian discipline and scaffolding behavior). Participants included 231 families (both mothers and fathers of preschoolers). Race was reported as White (62%), Black (21%), Mixed (8%), Asian (3%), or Other (6%) and 14% considered their ethnicity to be Hispanic/Latino. Median household income was $65,000. Results indicated that for fathers, IPC indirectly predicted domain-general parenting difficulties (increased authoritarian parenting and decreased scaffolding) via deficits in paternal cognitive flexibility (but not inhibitory control or working memory). In mothers, IPC directly predicted domain-specific parenting difficulties (decreased scaffolding only) that did not operate via maternal executive functions. Notably, these effects occurred over and above the influence of parental socioeconomic status. This study constitutes a first step toward documenting parental executive functioning as a mechanism underlying the spillover of IPC to the parent–child relationship. Family interventions intended to interrupt IPC spillover should emphasize father involvement and consider targeting parental executive functions as change mechanisms. Public Significance Statement: Research testing spillover conceptualizations has authoritatively demonstrated that homes characterized by high-conflict and disharmonious interparental relationships have substantial negative implications for parent–child relationships, however little is known about the processes underlying this association. This study documents how parental executive functioning serves as an explanatory mechanism linking IPC to parenting behaviors. Results can inform targets for clinical interventions designed to improve family functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence has shown that interparental conflict is a risk factor for adolescent maladjustment. However, little is known about how and under what conditions interparental conflict influences adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). The current study aims to fill in these gaps by identifying mediators (i.e., emotional insecurity and depressive symptoms) and a moderator (i.e., adolescent humor) in the aforementioned relationship. Data were collected at two-time points spanning one year from 742 Chinese adolescents (52.70% female; Mage at Wave 1 = 13.40 years) in China. All participants completed questionnaires about their perceptions of interparental conflict, adolescent NSSI, emotional insecurity, depressive symptoms, and humor. The results revealed that the indirect pathways linking interparental conflict and adolescent NSSI were conditioned on the level of adolescent humor. Specifically, for adolescents with lower levels of humor, a higher level of interparental conflict was related to more adolescent NSSI first through greater adolescent emotional insecurity and then depressive symptoms. For adolescents with higher levels of humor, such indirect links were not significant. The findings of this study emphasized the mediating roles of emotional insecurity and depressive symptoms and the buffering role of humor in the process from interparental conflict to NSSI. These results indicate that reducing adolescent emotional insecurity and depressive symptoms would be effective to prevent the process from interparental conflict to NSSI, particularly for adolescents with lower levels of humor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examined effects of interparental conflict and children's empathy on their health. • Outcomes were C-reactive protein, Interleukin-6, parent-reported child health. • Greater child empathy was associated with greater inflammation. • Interparental conflict and child empathy interacted to predict child health. • Empathic children may be more likely to experience poorer health in the face of conflict. Interparental conflict is known to negatively impact child well-being, including behavioral and physiological well-being. Children's empathy - that is, vicariously experiencing others' emotions - may increase children's sensitivity to and the biological repercussions of interparental conflict. Although empathy represents a valued trait and is an important part of socioemotional development, its influence on children's physical health is unknown. This study examined whether empathy moderates the association between perceived interparental conflict and both child systemic inflammation and parent-rated overall child health in a sample of children between the ages of seven to nine. Children and their parents participating in the long-term evaluation of the Family Foundations program, a randomized trial of a perinatal preventative intervention, provided data approximately eight years following enrollment into the program. We collected peripheral blood samples via dried blood spots, anthropometric measurements, and child and parent psychosocial questionnaires. Results indicated significant positive main effects of child empathy on both C-reactive protein (CRP; B = 0.26, SE = 0.11, p =.026) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6; B = 0.20, SE = 0.10, p =.045) levels. Further, child affective empathy moderated the associations between perceived interparental conflict and both CRP (B = 0.39, SE = 0.19, p =.050) and parent-reported child health (B = 0.30, SE = 0.13, p =.021), such that greater empathy strengthened the negative associations between interparental conflict and child health. Overall, findings suggests that there may be a biological cost of being more empathic in high-conflict environments and highlight the need for tools to help more empathic children appropriately manage vicarious emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For children to exercise their right to be heard when parents divorce or separate, they must voice their opinions at a time potentially characterised by significant interparental conflict. This study investigates whether several dimensions of interparental conflict are associated with whether children had expressed their opinions on post-divorce life to their parents and/or friends. Children aged 7-15 (N = 472) and their parents were recruited to the Dynamics of Family Conflict Study (FAM-C) from Norwegian family counselling centres. Parents reported on levels of physical and verbal aggression, child involvement, cooperation and resolution of conflicts. Bayesian multilevel logistic regression indicated that verbal aggression was associated with a decreased, and triangulation with an increased, tendency for children to have expressed their views to their parents. No reliable associations were found with regards to friends. Our results underscore the importance for mediation services to continue to support children in expressing their views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the association between interparental conflict and adolescent adjustment is well documented, the intervening mechanisms that explain this relationship are not fully understood. Guided by the spillover hypothesis and the self-determination theory, this study examined whether the associations among interparental conflict and adolescent depressive feelings and life satisfaction were explained by maternal autonomy support and, in turn, by adolescent need frustration. Participants were 925 Turkish adolescents (Mage = 16.08 years, SD = 0.31) and their mothers (Mage = 41.43, SD = 5.16). Results from path analysis showed that interparental conflict was related to lower maternal autonomy support, and in turn to higher adolescent need frustration. Greater need frustration, in turn, predicted higher adolescent depressive feelings and lower life satisfaction six months later. These findings suggested that conflictual parental relationships may predict adolescent adjustment through poor parenting and adolescent need frustration. The findings and related directions for future research are discussed in the context of self-determination theory and its role in advancing a process-oriented understanding of the familial and individual determinants of adolescent adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether interparental conflict was differentially related to forms of emotional security (i.e., family, interparental, parent–child) and whether forms of emotional security were differentially associated with mental health problems for adolescents in married versus divorced/separated families. Participants were 1032 adolescents (ages 10–15; 51% male, 49% female; 82% non‐Hispanic White, 9% Black/African American, 5% Hispanic, 2% Asian or Pacific Islander, 2% Native American) recruited from a public school in a middle‐class suburb of a United States metropolitan area. We used multiple group multivariate path analysis to assess (1) associations between interparental conflict and multiple measures of emotional insecurity (i.e., family, interparental, and parent–child), (2) associations between measures of emotional insecurity and internalizing and externalizing problems, and (3) moderation effects of parent–child relationships. The patterns of association were similar across family structures. A high‐quality parent–child relationship did not mitigate the harmful effects of interparental conflict on emotional insecurity or mental health problems. Findings suggest that regardless of family structure, emotional security across multiple family systems may be a critical target for intervention to prevent youth mental health problems, in addition to interventions that reduce conflict and improve parent–child relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intergenerational transmission of aggression indicates that conflicts between parents play a vital role in the young generation's aggressive behaviors. However, studies of the relationship between Interparental Conflict and Aggressive Behavior among children and youth remain inconsistent. The present study searched for studies published in the last 30 years via fifteen databases and conducted a meta-analysis with 35 articles. The results proved a statistically significant and positive link between Interparental Conflict and the young generation's Aggressive Behavior. Additionally, we found that this relationship was moderated by the Interparental Conflict Scale, the Reporter of Interparental Conflict Scale, and the year of publication and survey. Firstly, the results showed that Interparental Conflict Scale did moderate this correlation (rCPS < rCTS < rCPIC). Secondly, the correlation between Interparental Conflict and Aggressive Behavior was statistically significant lower for parent-report than for child-report in Interparental Conflict Scale. Thirdly, it showed a increasing trend with the increase of years. The study highlights the critical role of parental relationships on children's externalizing problems from theoretical and empirical perspectives. Future studies may focus on the children's perception of interparental conflicts, family prevention/intervention strategies, and moderating/mediating mechanisms between Interparental Conflicts and children's Aggressive Behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the mediating roles of parental and romantic attachment in the relationship between interparental conflict (IPC) and young adults' romantic relationship quality, and whether their mediating roles differ between males and females. A total of 160 heterosexual romantic couples (mean age = 21.82 years, SD = 1.72 years) from a capital city in western China volunteered to take part in an online survey, which encompassed self-report questionnaires of IPC, parental attachment, romantic attachment, and romantic relationship quality. Structural equation modeling was conducted to analyze data among males and females, respectively. Results suggested that male adults' attachment to mother independently mediated the relationship between IPC and male adults' romantic relationship quality, whereas romantic anxiety independently mediated the relationship between IPC and female adults' romantic relationship quality. In addition, for both males and females, parental and romantic attachment did not sequentially mediate the association between IPC and romantic relationship quality. These findings illustrate the differential roles that parental and romantic attachment play in the mediation mechanisms for male and female young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Witnessing interparental conflict in childhood predicts psychological dating violence victimization (PDVV) in adulthood. As found in previous studies, PDVV and hopelessness are associated with depression. However, the associations among these four variables have not been explored in detail. The present study, therefore, examined the association between perceived interparental conflict and depression in adulthood and whether PDVV and hopelessness might operate as sequential mechanisms accounting for the association. Participants (N = 283; M age = 23.37 years, SD = 4.04 years) in romantic relationships completed measures of perceived interparental conflict, PDVV, hopelessness, and depression. The perceived interparental conflict was related to PDVV and depression but not to hopelessness in adulthood. Moreover, the association between witnessing interparental conflict and depression was serially mediated via PDVV and hopelessness. The results are discussed in regard to previous research, and their implications for future research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, researchers have been progressively investigating the impact of interparental conflict (IPC) on young adults romantic relationships. This systematic review aimed to synthesize literature on IPC and romantic relationship outcomes among young adults and highlight mechanisms found in this link. Following the PRISMA protocol, 3232 studies were identified using Boolean searches on ProQuest, PubMed, EBSCOhost, Jstor, Cochrane, and Google Scholar, and 17 met the eligibility criteria. To be included, in addition to having IPC and romantic relationship outcomes as variables, studies had to be quantitative in design, have a mean sample age of 18–25, include only participants in romantic relationships at the time of the study, and be published in English with full text available. The review found that IPC is associated with negative conflict management, both perpetration and victimization of aggression, worse communication, negative conflict behaviors, and poor relationship quality. Other outcomes like relationship satisfaction, commitment, as well as mediator variables in the link between IPC and young adult romantic relationship outcomes, such as attitudes towards marriage and conflict attributions, yielded varied results. Several shortcomings in the methodology of the reviewed articles, such as the research sample and measures, were discovered. To deal with the impact of IPC on offspring's romantic relationships, preventive interventions should be designed and evaluated, and more research with different variables and study designs, with more men, other ethnicities, and more representative sample frames are needed to detect crucial mediators and obtain reliable and generalizable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children residing in chaotic homes exhibit greater behavior and adjustment problems. Proximal factors, such as interparental conflict, may play a role, although the ways in which these factors interplay in predicting adjustment problems is unclear. We explored different models for how chaos and conflict work together to predict child adjustment. We hypothesized that chaos would both moderate and mediate the relationship between interparental conflict and preschooler adjustment and that there would be a stronger pattern of associations for fathers than mothers. A community sample of 70 families with preschoolers participated in the current study. Parents engaged in a conflict resolution task during which their child was present. Interparental conflict was coded assessing for specific positive and negative conflict expressions, intensity of emotional expressions, and degree of resolution. Conflict codes were sorted into three categories: positive, angry, and depressive conflict. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) assessing child adjustment and the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS) assessing levels of chaos and disruption in the home. Path analyses revealed evidence for mediation in the father: fathers' angry conflict was significantly predictive of greater chaos, which was in turn predictive of greater child peer problems. No evidence of mediation was found for mothers. Chaos also moderated associations between conflict and child adjustment for both mothers and fathers, such that dimensions of conflict were significantly associated with child adjustment in high chaos, but not low chaos homes. Clinical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the association between interparental conflict and adolescent depression, and explored the moderating role of school connectedness in this association, in a Chinese context. Data were analyzed from 867 Chinese adolescents who completed the survey at 2 time points. Cross-lagged analyses indicated that interparental conflict in 7th grade adolescents significantly predicted depression in 8th grade, but adolescent depression in 7th grade was not a significant predictor of interparental conflict in 8th grade. In addition, there was a significant negative moderating effect of school connectedness, as high levels of school connectedness reduced the negative effect of interparental conflict on adolescent depression. Thus, the association between interparental conflict and adolescent depression has a unidirectional prediction. School connectedness can relieve the adverse effects of interparental conflict on adolescent depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflict resolution is a pivotal factor in understanding the recognized link between interparental conflict and child adjustment. Valid and reliable measures of parental conflict resolution are therefore needed. The aims of the present study were to validate the widely used Conflict Resolution Scale from the Conflicts and Problem-Solving Scales (CPS), and to develop and validate a short form of the same scale. Using a sample comprising 381 primarily married or cohabiting parent dyads (Sample 1), we tested the unidimensionality and measurement invariance across gender of the original Conflict Resolution Scale. A short form was developed using the same sample and was further validated by using both Sample 1 and a more diverse sample in terms of family structures comprising 846 parent dyads (Sample 2). Our findings support the Conflict Resolution Scale as unidimensional. Measurement invariance across gender was confirmed in both samples. Further, the short form showed a good to excellent fit to the data in both samples and a strong correlation with the original Conflict Resolution Scale. This suggests no critical loss of information when using the short form. The Conflict Resolution Scale – original and short form – demonstrated high internal reliability. Good validity was established through associations with related constructs (parental relationship and life satisfaction, and child adjustment), and by increased explained variance above conflict frequency/intensity alone. We particularly recommend the Conflict Resolution short form for research purposes and encourage further validation using samples from different cultural contexts and focusing on tests of stability and item contents analyses. Highlights: The Conflict Resolution Scale from CPS has not been validated. We validate the Conflict Resolution Scale using two Norwegian samples of parents. We further develop a short form of the same scale, which is particularly desirable in research. The Conflict Resolution Scale demonstrates sound validity and reliability, especially the short form of the scale. We recommend the short form for use in research, and it may be relevant for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined developmental trajectories of maternal sensitivity across early childhood and explored whether changes in sensitivity were predicted by changes in interparental conflict. Background: Maternal sensitivity facilitates healthy child development. Previous research has elucidated the role of interparental conflict as a determinant of sensitivity, but we know little about the trajectory of sensitivity across early childhood and the extent to which interparental conflict over time impacts sensitivity. Method: Mothers (n = 78) and their children were visited at the playground four times across early childhood (child age: 3.5 to 5.5 years). Observers reported on maternal sensitivity after each visit. Interparental conflict was self‐reported by mothers twice when their child was approximately 3.5 and 5 years old. Results: On average, both conflict and sensitivity showed continuity across early childhood. However, hierarchical linear modeling indicated significant variability in trajectories of change in sensitivity based upon frequency of interparental conflict. Conclusion: Although interparental conflict was relatively low at both times, mothers reporting increased conflict showed decreased sensitivity as their child aged. Implications: Findings underscore the importance of studying mother–child relationships within the larger familial context and provide support for the playground as an ecologically valid context to assess sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overt and covert conflict across two parental dyads (biological mother and biological father, biological mother and stepfather) in the same family were examined in relation to emerging adults' mental health (i.e., perceived stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety) and aggression (i.e., relational aggression, verbal hostility). In this study, the results from dominance analyses and relative weight analyses revealed the most important interparental conflict variable related to males' mental health and aggression was conflict between biological mothers and stepfathers (particularly covert). For females, conflict between biological parents (especially covert) was most important to mental health, while conflict between mothers and stepfathers was more strongly related to females' aggression (particularly overt for verbal hostility and covert for relational aggression). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased child participation in decision‐making about custody and visitation when parents separate is an explicit political goal. This study delineates central family processes associated with child participation in post‐divorce decision‐making, both in mediation and in the home. Children recruited to the Dynamics of Family Conflict Study at Norwegian family counselling centres (7–15 years, n = 554) completed surveys about interparental conflict, attachment security and whether they had been invited to participate in mediation and share their views at home. Results showed a strong correlation between the two decision‐making arenas as children who were invited to participate in mediation were also more likely to have been asked about their views at home, and vice versa. Mixed‐effects logistic regression analyses indicated that attachment security to mothers predicted that children were invited to participate in mediation. Older children were more likely to have been invited to participate both at home and in mediation. More child‐related interparental conflicts predicted that children did not know if they had been consulted at home. The study points to the need for developing better practices for including younger children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term studies evaluating threat appraisals as an intervening variable linking interparental conflict (IPC) and internalizing problems are lacking, as are longitudinal studies evaluating the role of the broader family context in these models. Guided by the cognitive-contextual framework, this study followed 225 adolescents (53% females) and their families from age 11 into young adulthood (age 19.6) to evaluate the long-term implications of IPC and threat appraisals for young adult internalizing symptoms. First, a long-term mediation model revealed that increases in IPC from age 11 to 14 (but not initial levels) best accounted for adolescent threat appraisals at age 14. In turn, threat appraisals mediated the association between IPC and young adult (age 19.6) internalizing problems. Second, the family climate—defined as high levels of cohesion and organization—moderated the relation between IPC and threat appraisals. Adolescents in families that experienced declines in positive family climate and increasing IPC had the highest threat appraisals; however, families that maintained (or increased in) positive family climate were protective against increasing IPC. Interestingly, the combination of decreasing IPC and decreasing positive family climate corresponded with the lowest threat appraisals in the sample, contrary to expectations. This finding seems consistent with a family disengagement perspective which may be less threatening to adolescents but may confer risk for other problem outcomes. This study underscores the importance of IPC and threat appraisals during adolescence, and offers new insights into the role of the family climate in protecting against escalating IPC for young adult internalizing risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The interparental conflict has been associated with an increased adolescents’ engagement in risk-taking behaviors. However, few studies have examined the potential mediation of deviant peer affiliation and the potential moderation of school climate. Grounded in the ecological system theory, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating role of school climate between the association of interparental conflict and risk-taking behavior. Methods This study conducted a longitudinal design (3 time points, 3 months apart) with the sample comprising 550 middle school students in southeastern China (52.91% males; mean age at Time 1 = 15.37). The performed measurements encompassed interparental conflict (T1), deviant peer affiliation (T2), school climate (T3), risk-taking behavior (T1/T2/T3), and demographic information. Results The moderated mediation model revealed that after controlling for T1/T2 risk-taking behavior, T1 interparental conflict was longitudinally and positively correlated with T3 risk-taking behavior through T2 deviant peer affiliation. Furthermore, moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that a positive school climate ameliorated the adverse impact of deviant peer affiliation on risk-taking behavior, thereby mitigating the indirect effect of interparental conflict on risk-taking behavior among adolescents. Conclusions Our findings propose a nuanced explanation of the processing mechanisms between interparental conflict and risk-taking behaviors among Chinese adolescents. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

While the detrimental effect of interparental conflict on adolescent depression is well-established, the underlying mechanisms linking the two continue to be inadequately understood. This study investigated the mediating role of family functioning and the moderating role of cultural beliefs about adversity in the association between interparental conflict and adolescent depression. The samples included 651 Chinese adolescents (mean age at Time 1 = 13.27 years; 56.5% girls) from a two-wave longitudinal study with data spanning 1 year. The findings from path modeling analyses provided evidence for the mediating role of family functioning; these findings indicated that interparental conflict can damage family functioning, which in turn exacerbates the risk of adolescent depression. The moderating role of cultural beliefs about adversity was also demonstrated by interactions between interparental conflict and cultural beliefs about adversity, as well as, family functioning and cultural beliefs about adversity. The results indicated a buffering role of cultural beliefs about adversity on the deleterious effect of interparental conflict on adolescent depression. They also suggested that lower levels of family functioning was associated with increased depression among adolescents were lower in cultural beliefs about adversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although growing numbers of parents share the physical custody of their children after family dissolution, empirical studies on the mechanisms through which post-separation care arrangements may affect parental well-being remain scarce. To fill this lacuna, the present study not only investigated the relationship between post-separation care arrangements and the life satisfaction of resident parents, but also whether the quality of co-parenting and the frequency of interparental conflict—two stressors associated with family dissolution—could explain this relationship. Based on data from the Family Models in Germany (FAMOD) study, structural equation models were estimated for an analytical sample of 1104 resident parents practicing either sole physical custody (SPC) or joint physical custody (JPC). The findings showed that parents with JPC experienced, on average, more life satisfaction than their counterparts with SPC. However, after considering the quality of co-parenting and the frequency of interparental conflict, the study found that the direct relationship between post-separation care arrangements and life satisfaction was no longer significant. Instead, practicing JPC was significantly related to both better co-parenting and fewer interparental conflicts, while the latter two factors were positively related to life satisfaction. In sum, this study showed that framework conditions, specifically elements of the interparental relationship, are more important factors to consider when investigating parents' post-separation well-being than the type of care arrangement practiced. However, the role of selection processes in explaining these associations remains uncertain, including the question of whether practicing JPC actually enhances the quality of the interparental relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study shows that children exposed to Interparental Verbal Conflict (IPVC) exert negative spillovers on their peers. Our first identification strategy uses within‐school, across‐classroom variation in peer's IPVC in schools that randomly assign students into classrooms. Our second strategy uses within‐student, year‐to‐year changes in peer's IPVC to control for peer's pre‐existing characteristics. Both results suggest that being randomly assigned to classes where more classmates experience IPVC reduces mental wellbeing, lowers social engagement, diminishes self‐confidence, and increases the likelihood of problem behaviors. Effects operate by damaging relationships between classmates. There is no evidence of impacts on test scores or teacher behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced or amplified stress and challenge within couples’ relationships. Among those who are particularly vulnerable to heightened conflict and lower relationship satisfaction during this time are interparental couples with young children, whose relationships may have already been tenuous prior to the pandemic. Stress within the interparental relationship may have ripple effects on all family subsystems and child adjustment. The Love Together Parent Together (L2P2) program is a brief, low-intensity writing intervention adapted for parents of young children that was designed to reduce conflict-related distress and prevent declines in relationship satisfaction. Based on an original writing intervention by Finkel and colleagues, L2P2 has adapted the intervention duration and study population to be appropriate to the current global context. This study will examine the key feasibility metrics related to this adapted program with the goal of identifying problems and informing parameters of future pilot and/or main RCTs. Methods The current study is a non-randomized feasibility study, using a single-arm, pre-test/post-test design to primarily assess the feasibility of an evaluative RCT, and to secondarily assess the potential effects on outcomes to be used in a future RCT. Couples will be recruited through three community-based agencies with the goal of obtaining a socio-demographically diverse sample. The first 20 couples to enroll will be included. Baseline and post-intervention surveys will be conducted, and a writing intervention will take place (three 7-min sessions over the course of 5 weeks). The primary outcomes will be feasibility metrics of recruitment rates, appropriateness of eligibility criteria, sample diversity, retention, uptake, adherence, and acceptability. In addition, we will develop an objective measure of couple “we-ness” based on an analysis of writing samples. The secondary outcomes will include couples’ measures (i.e., relationship quality, perceived partner responsiveness, self-reported responsiveness, conflict-related distress), and additional family outcomes (i.e., parent-child relations, parental/child mental health). Criteria for success are outlined, and failure to meet the criteria will result in adaptations to the measurement schedule, intervention design, recruitment approach, and/or other elements of the program. Discussion This feasibility study will inform several components of the procedures used for a subsequent pilot RCT, in which we will examine the feasibility of the methodology used to evaluate the program (e.g., randomization, attrition to follow-up assessment/across groups, and sample size estimation, preliminary effectiveness), as well as the main RCT, which will investigate the effectiveness of the intervention on primary outcome measures and mediating pathways. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05143437

Although the sensitization hypothesis posits that heightened reactivity to interparental conflict is linked to adolescent psychopathology, limited studies tested whether sensitization would emerge in parent‐adolescent conflict and across ethnicity or culture. This study revisits the sensitization hypothesis by examining adolescent emotional reactivity to interparental and parent‐adolescent conflicts on a daily timescale. The sample included 163 adolescents (55% girls; Mage = 12.79) and their parents (78% females; Mage = 45.46) who completed a 10‐day reports in Taiwan. Multilevel modeling results showed that, instead of interparental conflict, adolescents with greater histories of parent‐adolescent conflict exhibited higher emotional reactivity when parent‐adolescent conflict was higher. The findings underscore the importance of parent‐adolescent conflict in evaluating adolescent developmental risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of present study was to develop the Portuguese version of the Silent Interparental Conflict Scale (SICS). This research examined the psychometric properties of this scale that evaluates marker characteristics of silent conflict and its perceived costs and benefits for individuals in a relationship. Participants were 173 individuals in a relationship who filled out the following measures: SICS, Family Environment Scale, Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to test the SICS factorial structure and computed correlations between its scores and those of other relevant constructs to contribute to this scale's construct validity. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed an acceptable fit for the three-factor structure (marker, costs, and benefits of silent interparental conflict). The total score of SICS demonstrated very good internal consistency (αs >.80) and it was negatively correlated with scores of family cohesion, expressiveness, and marital satisfaction; conversely, it was positively correlated with scores of family conflict and psychological symptoms. Results support the use the SICS in Portuguese contexts. Silent conflict is a construct readily recognized, and this self-report questionnaire proved to be a valid instrument to assess this form of conflict between members of a couple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This 3-year longitudinal study explored the mediating role of depressive symptoms in the relations between interparental conflict (IPC) and preference-for-solitude (PFS). Participants were 1,039 Chinese adolescents (53.9% boys) between 11 and 15 years old (MT1 = 12.37, SD =.58). Data were collected at three time points and included maternal reports of IPC, adolescent reports of depressive symptoms, peer nominations of PFS. Results from multilevel mediation analyses indicated that at both the between- and within-person levels, statistically significant indirect effects were found for depressive symptoms as a mediator of the relation between IPC and PFS. That is, elevated IPC predicted adolescent increased depressive symptoms, which in turn, were associated with heightened PFS. As well, within a given adolescent, higher frequencies of IPC were a significant positive predictor of depressive symptoms for that adolescent, and in turn, changes in depressive symptoms were positively associated with changes in PFS over time. These findings highlight the influence of IPC on early adolescents' maladaptive outcomes over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address a gap in the translational research on marital and family conflict intervention, we used a series of multilevel models to examine how interparental constructive conflict behavior, conflict resolution, and conflict knowledge improved up to 3 years postintervention in the Family Communication Project (FCP). The FCP was an experimental, longitudinal intervention focused on family conflict, communication, and adolescent adjustment. Participants consisted of adolescents and their two primary caregivers (N = 225 families). Each family was randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups (parent–adolescent or parent only) or two control groups (self-study or no treatment). Relative to controls, who showed no statistically significant improvement in conflict behavior, resolution, or knowledge, parents in the two-treatment conditions showed improvement in a nonlinear fashion. Modeled with piece-wise slopes, average change trajectories showed statistically significant increases from pretest to posttest, followed by declines but overall significant sustained growth by 3 years. Baseline marital hostility moderated this change, whereby couples who had higher levels of baseline marital hostility responded more favorably to treatment, but also declined more rapidly. Fathers in the study were shown to have stronger long-term treatment effects for conflict knowledge relative to mothers, and higher marital adjustment among fathers at baseline predicted less decline in dyadic conflict resolution after the intervention. The results highlight how examining within-family changes over time and between-family differences in change trajectories can contribute to practical insights about when and for whom interventions are most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]