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Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Reciprocal influences between parents' marital problems and adolescent internalizing and externalizing behavior.
Ming Cui1, M Brent Donnellan2, Rand D Conger3
1Department of Family and Child Sciences, Florida State University.
Developmental Psychology
|November 21, 2007
Summary
Marital problems and adolescent difficulties influence each other. Parental conflict over child rearing predicts adolescent depression and delinquency, which in turn worsen marital conflict.
Area of Science:
- Family Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Marital functioning and adolescent adjustment are critical areas of study in developmental and clinical psychology.
- Previous research suggests marital problems can negatively impact adolescent well-being.
- The bidirectional relationship between these domains requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the reciprocal associations between marital functioning and adolescent maladjustment.
- To investigate the role of parental conflict over child rearing as a mediator in this relationship.
- To understand the dynamic interplay within the family system.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a prospective, longitudinal research design with 451 early adolescent families.
- Employed cross-lagged autoregressive models to analyze reciprocal effects.
- Incorporated multi-informant methods for comprehensive data collection.
Main Results:
- Parental conflicts over child rearing significantly predicted adolescent depressive symptoms and delinquency.
- Adolescent depressive symptoms and delinquency were found to exacerbate parental conflicts over child rearing.
- Conflict over child rearing acted as a nexus linking marital dissatisfaction and adolescent adjustment problems.
Conclusions:
- Marital dissatisfaction, conflict over child rearing, and adolescent adjustment difficulties are dynamically interwoven.
- Adolescent maladjustment can predict increased marital conflict and dissatisfaction.
- Findings highlight the reciprocal nature of family system dynamics.
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