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Marital conflict, divorce, and children's adjustment
1Northern California Mediation Center, Corte Madera, USA.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America
|January 20, 1999
Summary
Children’s adjustment problems are often linked to marital conflict, not just divorce. Hostile family environments during marriage significantly impact child well-being and parent-child relationships.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Family Studies
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Research on children's adjustment post-divorce often overlooks pre-divorce family dynamics.
- The impact of marital conflict and violence on child development requires further investigation.
Observation:
- Children in high-conflict marriages exhibit significant adjustment issues prior to divorce.
- Marital discord negatively affects parent-child relationships even before separation.
Findings:
- Frequent and intense marital conflict is strongly associated with children's adjustment problems.
- Hostile family environments contribute substantially to compromised child adjustment during and after marriage.
Implications:
- The negative effects attributed solely to divorce may be overstated.
- Clinical and research focus should expand to include the detrimental impact of troubled marriages on children.