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Family conflict, emotional security, and child development: translating research findings into a prevention program

E Mark Cummings1, Julie N Schatz

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, 204 Brownson Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA. cummings.10@nd.edu

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review
|February 8, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Family conflict negatively impacts children

Area of Science:

  • Family psychology
  • Child development
  • Clinical psychology

Background:

  • Family conflict poses significant risks to children's physical and psychological health.
  • Inter-parental and parent-child conflict are associated with numerous child problems, especially in distressed marriages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and evaluate a brief, psycho-educational prevention program for community families.
  • To improve family-wide conflict resolution and emotional security for children's well-being.

Main Methods:

  • Program development based on Emotional Security Theory.
  • Evaluation using a randomized controlled trial with multi-domain, multi-method assessments.
  • Focus on translating research into brief, engaging community programs.

Main Results:

  • Evidence of improved family-wide functioning at post-test.
  • Consideration of differential benefits for diverse community groups.
  • Preliminary support for the program's theoretical underpinnings.

Conclusions:

  • Brief psycho-educational programs can effectively address family conflict.
  • The developed program shows promise for enhancing family relationships and child well-being.
  • Further research supports the program's application for families with adolescents.

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