Poster #89 - Child Affect after Interparental Conflict and Positive Family Interactions

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

Previous work has shown that destructive interparental conflict (IPC) is associated with more negative, less positive affect in children, and constructive IPC is associated less negative, more positive affect (Cummings, Goeke-Morey, & Papp, 2003). However, little is known about the implications of positive family interactions following IPC for links between IPC and children’s affective responses. Do positive parental behaviors during positive family interactions mitigate the influence of earlier destructive IPC on child affect? Alternatively, does earlier destructive IPC influence child affect following subsequent positive family interactions, even when accounting for positive and negative characteristics of positive family interactions? In the current study we tested the hypothesis that destructive IPC would predict child positive and negative affect following a positive family interaction, even controlling for the positivity and negativity of parents’ behavior during the positive interaction.

The sample consisted of 101 children ages 9 to 11 years (52 boys, 48 girls, 1 gender-neutral child) and their biological parents. Children reported their positive and negative affect after witnessing their parents discuss an interparental problem for ten minutes (T1) and after participating in a positive family conversation for five minutes (T2).

Regression analyses tested constructive and destructive IPC and parents’ positivity and negativity during the subsequent positive family interaction as predictors of children’s positive and negative affect at T1 and T2. All models included child age, gender, and SES. Coders rated destructiveness and constructiveness of the IPC and parents’ positivity and negativity during the positive family interaction.

Neither destructive nor constructive IPC predicted child positive or negative affect at T1. However, destructive IPC predicted greater child negative affect at T2 (β = 0.36, t = 2.37, p < .05). In addition, parents’ negativity during the positive family interaction predicted marginally greater child negative affect at T2 (β = 0.23, t = 1.97, p < .06). Further, hierarchical linear regression tested whether destructive IPC entered in Step 2 predicted child negative affect at T2 when constructive IPC and positivity and negativity during the positive family interaction were entered in Step 1. Results indicated destructive IPC predicted greater child negative affect over and above the other predictors (see Table 1). The results highlight the lingering influence of destructive IPC on children’s negative affect even following positive family interactions.

Authors

• Holly Weldon, University of Vermont
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alice Schermerhorn, University of Vermont
  Presenting Author

• Matt Caton, University of Vermont
  Non-Presenting Author