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Marital Status Disruptions and Internalizing Disorders of Children

Jordyn T Wallenborn1, Gregory Chambers1, Elizabeth Lowery1

  • 1Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, 830 East Main Street, Suite 821, P.O. Box 980212, Richmond, VA 23298-0212, USA.

Psychiatry Journal
|July 9, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Parental marital disruption is linked to higher child internalizing behaviors at age 3. However, this association with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) score diminishes by ages 5 and 9.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • Marital disruption affects 40-50% of marriages, with known negative health impacts on children.
  • Existing research highlights links between parental separation/divorce and adverse child health outcomes.
  • Internalizing disorders in children represent a significant public health concern.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To prospectively examine the relationship between parental marital status and internalizing disorders in children.
  • To assess if early associations persist into later childhood.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study design.
  • Utilized Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores to measure internalizing behaviors.
  • Compared children's scores based on parental marital status at multiple time points (3, 5, and 9 years).

Main Results:

  • A significant difference in CBCL scores was observed at 3 years of age, with children from unmarried families showing higher scores (0.10 higher, 95% CI: 0.09-0.12; p<.0001).
  • This association between parental marital status and CBCL internalizing scores was not significant at 5 and 9 years post-adjustment for confounders.
  • Parental marital status showed a significant association with increased internalizing behaviors at age 3, which diminished over time.

Conclusions:

  • Parental marital status is associated with elevated child internalizing behaviors in early childhood (age 3).
  • The impact of parental marital status on these behaviors appears transient, disappearing by middle childhood.
  • Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind this early association and its subsequent dissipation.

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