How Does Parental Conflict Affect Children

HOW CHİLDREN ARE AFFECTED BY PARENTAL

CONFİLCT?

MERT BABAYİĞİT

Presentation Overview Family Factors and Children’s Development

Conflict as Context

How Children are Affected by Inter-Parental Conflict

Effects of Witnessing Conflict on Children

2 Studies about how children effected by parental conflict 1-Does inter-parental conflict affect children’s

psychological development?

2-What Mechanisms Explain the Effects of Inter-Parental Conflict on Children?

SEE (OUR WORLD…)

Through Children’s Eyes…

Family Factors and Children’s Development

How are children affected by families

What family factors affect children

Economic or Work pressure

Father Psychological

Distress

Mother Psychological

Distress

Parent-Child

Problems

Interparental Conflict

Child Problems

Going Beyond Outcomes to Highlighting Processes

Conger and colleagues 1989-2007

Conflict as Context

Domestic violence

Parental separation and divorce

‘Normal’ households

How Children are Affected by Inter-Parental Conflict

Children of all ages are affected by exposure to conflict between parents

Direct versus Indirect effects of inter-parental conflict on children

Passive victim or active agent?

Effects of Witnessing Conflict on Children

Brain development

Emotional development

Cognitive development

Social and Behavioural development

Does inter-parental conflict affect children’spsychological development?

Conflict as ‘Cause’?? Direction of effects??

The role of genes??

Early Growth and Development Study

Sample 361 sets of adoptive children, adoptive parents, and

birth parents

Nationally-representative sample of families who made domestic adoption placements in the United States between 2003-2006

Method Videotaped Observation – adoptive families

Questionnaire – adoptive parents

Questionnaire – birth parents

Summary and Implications Directions of effects??

Family influences predict child symptoms, not the other way around

The role of genes?? Sample is an adoption sample

Inter-parental conflict is a salient environmental factor for children’s development What factors explain inter-parental conflict effects on

development? Moving towards environmental specificity in the study of

intergenerational transmission of psychopathology

What Mechanisms Explain the Effects of Inter-Parental Conflict on Children?

Conflict Between Couples and Children’s Academic Attainment

South Wales Family Study (1999-2004)

Sample 542 children, parents and teachers (78% = two-parent;

9% = stepparent; 11% + 2% = single-parent)

Three year panel study 1999, 2000, 2001

Method Interview

Family communication, problem solving, family relations etc.,

Questionnaire Parents: Couple relationship, parent-child relationship,

symptoms of depression and anxiety, family economic conditions, styles of family interaction, parenting style, children’s emotional and behavioural well-being

Children: Parent relationship, parent-child relationship, family economic conditions, styles of family interaction, emotional and behavioural well-being, family and school support, substance use,

Teachers: Child emotional and behavioural well being, academics

Summary

Children’s behavior are affected by Parental conflicts

Children academic success affected by Parental conflicts

Age 11 years

Harsh / Rejecting Parenting

Perceptions of Self-Blame and Responsibility

Age 12 years Age 13 years

Interparental Conflict

Aggressive Problems

Parent

Child

Low Academic Attainment

English

Science

Math

Aggressive Problems

REFERENCES

Gordon Harold, PhDAlexander McMillan Chair in

Childhood StudiesProfessor of Psychology

Mannering, A., Harold, G.T., Leve, L et al., Longitudinal Associations Between Marital Instability and Child Sleep Problems across Infancy and Toddlerhood. Child Development,

Uluslararası Sosyal Aratırmalar DergisiThe Journal of International Social ResearchVolume 2 / 8 Summer 2009.

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4564080_parental-conflict-affect-children.html

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LİSTENİNG…

MERT BABAYİĞİT