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Mona El-sheikh - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Dynamic patterns of Marital Conflict: Relations to trajectories of adolescent adjustment.
    Developmental psychology, 2019
    Co-Authors: Mona El-sheikh, Mina Shimizu, Stephen A. Erath, Lauren E. Philbrook, J. Benjamin Hinnant
    Abstract:

    The deleterious effects of Marital Conflict on youth outcomes are well-documented in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. To date, longitudinal studies have focused on repeated measures of youths' outcomes and the temporal dynamics of Marital Conflict have largely been ignored. Marital Conflict changes over time as contextual and relationship characteristics change, and these patterns of change may provide unique predictive power in accounting for differences in youth outcomes. This study provides a novel exploration of an old idea by focusing on dynamic patterns of Marital Conflict in predicting trajectories of adolescents' adjustment. All variables were measured at ages 16, 17, and 18 with 252 adolescents (53% female) enrolled in the longitudinal Family Stress and Youth Development Study. Latent growth curve models with latent variable interactions were used to determine whether Marital Conflict at age 16 (intercept), change over time in Marital Conflict (slope), and the intercept-slope interaction predicted change over time in adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms and levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms at age 18. Youth exposed to high and increasing levels of Marital Conflict reported high and stable levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms across adolescence. Adolescents exposed to low and decreasing levels of Marital Conflict had consistently fewer symptoms. Furthermore, exposure to initially low but increasing levels of Marital Conflict was associated with increases in problems across adolescence, which contrasted with findings for youth with initially high Marital Conflict exposure that decreased over time. Findings are discussed in relation to both conceptual and methodological advances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

  • Marital Conflict and children's sleep: reciprocal relations and socioeconomic effects.
    Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 2011
    Co-Authors: Ryan J. Kelly, Mona El-sheikh
    Abstract:

    We examined reciprocal relations between parental Marital Conflict and children's sleep disruptions over two years. The roles of ethnicity (African American and European American) and socioeconomic status were tested as moderators of the examined relations. A community sample of 176 school-age children (M age = 8.68 at T1) and their parents participated at T1 and T2 with a 2-year interval between waves. Mothers, fathers, and children reported on parental Marital Conflict, and children's sleep was measured via actigraphy and self-reports. Latent variable modeling indicated that T1 Marital Conflict predicted increases in children's sleep disruptions longitudinally; results were more pronounced for African American children and those from lower SES homes. Further, children's sleep disruptions at T1 predicted increases in Marital Conflict over time. Results demonstrate the importance of reciprocal relations between a prevalent familial stressor and a fundamental facet of children's health, especially when considering the sociocultural milieu.

  • Marital Conflict and disruption of children's sleep
    Child development, 2006
    Co-Authors: Mona El-sheikh, Joseph A. Buckhalt, Jacquelyn Mize, Christine Acebo
    Abstract:

    Marital Conflict was examined as a predictor of the quality and quantity of sleep in a sample of healthy 8- to 9-year-olds. Parents and children reported on Marital Conflict, the quantity and quality of children's sleep were examined through an actigraph worn for 7 consecutive nights, and child sleepiness was derived from child and mother reports. Increased Marital Conflict was associated with disruptions in the quantity and quality of children's sleep as well as subjective sleepiness, even after controlling for child age, ethnic group membership, socioeconomic status, sex, and body mass index. The results support the sensitization hypothesis in that exposure to Marital Conflict may influence an important facet of children's biological regulation, namely sleep.

  • Longitudinal relations between Marital Conflict and child adjustment: vagal regulation as a protective factor.
    Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 2006
    Co-Authors: Mona El-sheikh, Stephanie A. Whitson
    Abstract:

    Although associations between Marital Conflict and children's adjustment problems are established, less is known about child individual differences that can have an impact on these relations. The authors examined longitudinal relations between Marital Conflict and children's adjustment using a community sample of elementary school-age children and young adolescents and assessed the role of children's vagal regulation in moderating the Conflict-child problems link. Elevated Marital Conflict was predictive of negative child outcomes, and greater vagal suppression to a simulated argument was protective against internalizing problems associated with Marital Conflict. Findings are supportive of the value of a biopsychosocial perspective and illustrate that child vagal regulation can contribute to the aggregation or amelioration of risk for maladjustment in the context of exposure to Marital Conflict.

  • Marital Conflict and health: Processes and protective factors
    Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2003
    Co-Authors: Stephanie M. Whitson, Mona El-sheikh
    Abstract:

    Marital Conflict has been identified as a risk factor for poor health in marriage partners and their children. However, the mechanisms through which Marital Conflict influences health have not been fully elucidated. Furthermore, there is variability in health outcomes associated with Marital Conflict. The current endeavor proposes that the impact of Marital Conflict on physical health is due, at least in part, to excessive sympathetic arousal and incorporates the Polyvagal Theory to explain how vagal regulation (an index of parasympathetic regulation) may aggregate or attenuate the risk for poor health outcomes in the context of Conflict. Examination of intervening variables, such as vagal regulation, allows for elucidation of the relation between Marital Conflict and health problems in children and adults. Specifically, this paper proposes that individuals with high vagal regulation will be protected from the impact of Marital Conflict on physical health by the mitigation of detrimental sympathetic arousal, whereas individuals with low vagal regulation will be more vulnerable to the effects of Marital Conflict on health. Support for this proposition is provided through the presentation of literature on vagal regulation as a protective factor against negative health outcomes in children exposed to Marital Conflict.

E. Mark Cummings - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Marital Conflict Behaviors and Parenting: Dyadic Links Over Time
    Family relations, 2018
    Co-Authors: Mengyu Miranda Gao, Patrick T. Davies, E. Mark Cummings
    Abstract:

    Objective To assess the effects of Marital Conflict on parenting practices for mothers and fathers and to examine whether these effects differ for within-person and cross-person links in parental dyads. Background Existing findings are mixed regarding the nature and magnitude of the association between Marital Conflict and childrearing behaviors. Little is known about parental role differences in this regard between fathers and mothers and the mutual influence on the other's responding. Method A sample of 235 families (fathers, mothers, and their kindergarten children) participated in the study over a 2-year period. Fathers and mothers independently reported on constructive and destructive Marital Conflict tactics, as well as on their parenting behaviors in scenarios of children experiencing negative emotions. Results Results indicated cross-person and within-person relations. For example, fathers' destructive Conflict predicted mothers' distress reactions to children's negative emotions, supporting a spillover hypothesis. Mothers' destructive Conflict behaviors predicted less unsupportive maternal parenting, supporting a compensatory hypothesis. Conclusion Fathers' and mothers' Marital Conflict behaviors may have different implications for their own and their spouse' parenting. Implications Intervention and prevention programs that target improving Marital Conflict interactions may also help promote positive parenting. The findings also support that both fathers and mothers should be included in these programs to increase the beneficial effects on parenting practices.

  • Constructive and Destructive Marital Conflict, Parenting, and Children's School and Social Adjustment
    Social development (Oxford England), 2013
    Co-Authors: Kathleen P. Mccoy, E. Mark Cummings, Melissa R.w. George, Patrick T. Davies
    Abstract:

    This study addresses the links between destructive and constructive Marital Conflict and mothers’ and fathers’ parenting to understand associations with children’s social and school adjustment. Multi-method, longitudinal assessments of 235 mothers, fathers, and children (129 girls) were collected across kindergarten, first, and second grades (ages 5-7 at Time 1; ages 7-9 at Time 3). Whereas constructive Marital Conflict was related to both mothers’ and fathers’ warm parenting, destructive Marital Conflict was only linked to fathers’ use of inconsistent discipline. In turn, both mothers’ and fathers’ use of psychological control was related to children’s school adjustment, and mothers’ warmth was related to children’s social adjustment. Reciprocal links between constructs were also explored, supporting associations between destructive Marital Conflict and mothers’ and fathers’ inconsistent discipline. The merit of examining Marital Conflict and parenting as multidimensional constructs is discussed in relation to understanding the processes and pathways within families that affect children’s functioning.

  • Evaluating a brief prevention program for improving Marital Conflict in community families.
    Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 2008
    Co-Authors: E. Mark Cummings, W. Brad Faircloth, Patricia M. Mitchell, Jennifer S. Cummings, Alice C. Schermerhorn
    Abstract:

    Marital Conflict is related to well-being in children and adults (E. M. Cummings & P. T. Davies, 2002). Marital Conflict is likely most effectively ameliorated before it becomes clinically significant. However, families without significant problems may be unwilling to participate in couples therapies or other lengthy or intensive interventions. Responding to this gap, the authors developed a 4-session psychoeducational program about Marital Conflict for community families. Couples with children 4-8 years of age were randomly blocked into 1 of 3 groups: (1) a parent-only group (n = 24), (2) a parent-child group (n = 33), or (3) a self-study group (n = 33). Pre- and posttest and 6-month and 1-year assessments were conducted. This report evaluates (a) whether participation in a psychoeducational program for parents improved Marital Conflict, especially concerning ways of expressing disagreements, and (b) whether changes in Marital Conflict subsequently improved Marital satisfaction, parenting, and child adjustment. Greater constructive and less destructive Marital Conflict was observed at all assessments for treatment groups, and these changes were linked with improvements in other family processes. The findings support the promise of brief, psychoeducational programs for improving Marital Conflict for community samples.

  • Evaluating a parent education program for preventing the negative effects of Marital Conflict
    Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2008
    Co-Authors: W. Brad Faircloth, E. Mark Cummings
    Abstract:

    The effects of Marital Conflict on children are well documented. This study evaluated a prevention program for changing Marital Conflict for children's sake. Fifty-five couples were randomly assigned to either an immediate treatment (n = 41) or a six-month waitlisted control (n = 14) group, with assessments at pretest, posttest, and 6-month and 1-year follow-ups. Results indicate effectiveness in improving parents' knowledge regarding Marital Conflict across all assessment periods. Couples reported displaying less hostility in front of their children at 6-months, and showed improvement in Conflict tactics and parenting practices at the 6 month and one-year follow-up assessments. Findings of this study provide promise for further development of Marital Conflict focused parent education.

  • Marital Conflict and Children's Adjustment: Evaluation of the Parenting Process Model.
    Journal of Marriage and Family, 2007
    Co-Authors: Sarah J. Schoppe-sullivan, Alice C. Schermerhorn, E. Mark Cummings
    Abstract:

    This investigation tested whether parenting mediates longitudinal associations between Marital Conflict and children's adjustment. Data were drawn from a three-wave study of 283 families with children aged 8 - 16 years at Wave 1. Relations among Marital Conflict, parenting (behavioral control, psychological autonomy, and warmth), and children's adjustment (externalizing and internalizing) were examined. Structural equation models indicated multiple dimensions of parenting mediated relations between Marital Conflict and children's adjustment. When including controls for earlier adjustment, behavioral control continued to mediate relations between Marital Conflict and change in children's internalizing symptoms over time. These results advance parenting process models for relations between Marital Conflict and child adjustment and provide impetus for study of other pathways, including direct and child effects. Key Words: child outcomes, longitudinal, Marital Conflict, parent-child relations, parenting, structural equation modeling. Decades of research have demonstrated links between Marital or interparental Conflict and children's socioemotional functioning (Davies & Cummings, 1994; Emery, 1982). Continuing to document simple associations between Marital Conflict and children's adjustment, however, has reached a point of diminishing returns (Curnmings & Davies, 2002). The next step is to identify the processes through which Marital Conflict affects children's adjustment, including pathways for direct effects, such as chddren's emotional security (Cummings, Schermerhorn, Davies, Goeke-Morey, & Cummings, 2006), and indirect effects resulting from changes in family functioning, such as parenting behavior (Fauber, Forehand, Thomas, & Wierson, 1990). The present study focuses on further investigating the parenting process model, which posits that parenting quality mediates the association between Marital Conflict and children's adjustment. Links between the quality of Marital and parent-child relationships are frequendy reported (Erel & Burman, 1995; Krishnakumar & Buehler, 2000). In a recent meta-analysis, Krishnakumar and Buehler found the average association between interparental Conflict and parenting behaviors to be moderate (Cohen's d = -.62). Yet many questions remain about these relations at a process level, partly because of limitations in approach. A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE MEDIATIONAL ROLE OF PARENTING Although various perspectives emphasize the important role of parenting (e.g., spillover hypothesis, Erel & Burman, 1995), emotional security theory (Davies & Cummings, 1994), grounded in attachment theory, is among the few with well-specified predictions and tests of predictions. Emotional security theory hypothesizes that Marital Conflict reduces children's emotional security within the family context and that reduced emotional security leads to adjustment problems. The emotional security framework incorporates parent-child relationship quality (i.e., attachment security) as an important component of children's emotional security; insecurity arises when Marital Conflict disrupts parent-child relationships. Marital Conflict is viewed as disrupting parent-child relationships in several ways. First, Marital Conflict "spills over" to affect other relationships, including die parent-child relationship, causing contagion of negative emotionality. Second, Marital Conflict results in diminished parental resources to support optimal parenting. Notably, Doyle and Markiewicz (2005) examined adolescent attachment insecurity as a component of the parenting process model and found that attachment insecurity explained associations between parental warmth and adolescents' externalizing problems and self-esteem. GAPS IN PAST STUDIES OF THE PARENTING PROCESS MODEL Although the validity of the parenting process model is often taken for granted (e. …

Clare M. Stocker - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Siblings' differential experiences of Marital Conflict and differences in psychological adjustment.
    Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 2003
    Co-Authors: Melissa K. Richmond, Clare M. Stocker
    Abstract:

    The present study examined whether siblings experience Marital Conflict differently and whether such differences, if present, were associated with differences in their adjustment. Self-report data about Marital Conflict, children's depressed mood, behavioral conduct, and externalizing problems were obtained from 122 sibling pairs (mean ages = 10 and 12 years) and their parents. Results indicated that siblings were significantly different in exposure to and appraisals of Marital Conflict. Differences in siblings' exposure to Marital Conflict were significantly correlated with differences in their depressed mood, behavioral conduct, and externalizing problems. Differences in siblings' feelings of self-blame for Marital Conflict were significantly correlated with differences in their depressed mood and behavioral conduct. Children who experienced more Marital Conflict than their siblings had more adjustment problems than their siblings. These results highlight the importance of studying siblings' unique experiences of Marital Conflict to better understand its impact on children's adjustment.

  • Marital Conflict and Children's Adjustment: Parental Hostility and Children's Interpretations as Mediators
    Social Development, 2003
    Co-Authors: Clare M. Stocker, Melissa K. Richmond, Sabina Low, Elise K. Alexander, Nadine M. Elias
    Abstract:

    The associations between Marital Conflict, maternal and paternal hostility, children's interpretations of Marital Conflict, and children's adjustment were examined in a sample of 136 school-aged children and their parents. Observational measures were collected from videotapes of Marital interaction and family interaction. Self-report data were collected from parents and children. Results showed that mothers’ and fathers’ hostility mediated the association between martial Conflict and children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Children's feelings of being to blame for Marital Conflict and being threatened by it mediated between Marital Conflict and children's internalizing problems but not their externalizing problems.

  • Marital Conflict and parental hostility: Links with children's sibling and peer relationships.
    Journal of Family Psychology, 1999
    Co-Authors: Clare M. Stocker, Lise M. Youngblade
    Abstract:

    The authors examined the associations between Marital Conflict and children's relationships with siblings and peers. Mothers' and fathers' hostility toward children and children's interpretations of parents' Marital Conflict (self-blame and feeling threatened) were investigated as mediators between Marital Conflict and children's sibling and peer relationships. The sample included 136 intact 2-child families. Children were 7 and 10 years old. Data were collected from observations of Marital and family interaction and from family members' reports. Results showed that Marital Conflict was associated with problematic sibling and peer relationships. Both maternal and paternal hostility mediated the associations between Marital Conflict and sibling relationships. The link between Marital Conflict and sibling rivalry was also mediated by children's feelings of self-blame for their parents' Conflict. Fathers' hostility toward children mediated the association between Marital Conflict and children's problematic peer relationships.

Douglas A Granger - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • adolescent Conflict appraisals moderate the link between Marital Conflict and physiological stress reactivity
    Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2017
    Co-Authors: Rachel G Lucasthompson, Erika S Lunkenheimer, Douglas A Granger
    Abstract:

    The goal of this study was to advance understanding of how adolescent Conflict appraisals contribute uniquely, and in combination with interparental Conflict behavior, to individual differences in adolescent physiological reactivity. Saliva samples were collected from 153 adolescents (52% female; ages 10-17 years) before and after the Trier Social Stress Test. Saliva was assayed for cortisol and alpha-amylase. Results revealed interactive effects between Marital Conflict and Conflict appraisals. For youth who appraised parental Conflict negatively (particularly as threatening), negative Marital Conflict predicted dampened reactivity; for youth who appraised parental Conflict less negatively, negative Marital Conflict predicted heightened reactivity. These findings support the notion that the family context and youth appraisals of family relationships are linked with individual differences in biological sensitivity to context.

Patrick T. Davies - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Marital Conflict Behaviors and Parenting: Dyadic Links Over Time
    Family relations, 2018
    Co-Authors: Mengyu Miranda Gao, Patrick T. Davies, E. Mark Cummings
    Abstract:

    Objective To assess the effects of Marital Conflict on parenting practices for mothers and fathers and to examine whether these effects differ for within-person and cross-person links in parental dyads. Background Existing findings are mixed regarding the nature and magnitude of the association between Marital Conflict and childrearing behaviors. Little is known about parental role differences in this regard between fathers and mothers and the mutual influence on the other's responding. Method A sample of 235 families (fathers, mothers, and their kindergarten children) participated in the study over a 2-year period. Fathers and mothers independently reported on constructive and destructive Marital Conflict tactics, as well as on their parenting behaviors in scenarios of children experiencing negative emotions. Results Results indicated cross-person and within-person relations. For example, fathers' destructive Conflict predicted mothers' distress reactions to children's negative emotions, supporting a spillover hypothesis. Mothers' destructive Conflict behaviors predicted less unsupportive maternal parenting, supporting a compensatory hypothesis. Conclusion Fathers' and mothers' Marital Conflict behaviors may have different implications for their own and their spouse' parenting. Implications Intervention and prevention programs that target improving Marital Conflict interactions may also help promote positive parenting. The findings also support that both fathers and mothers should be included in these programs to increase the beneficial effects on parenting practices.

  • Constructive and Destructive Marital Conflict, Parenting, and Children's School and Social Adjustment
    Social development (Oxford England), 2013
    Co-Authors: Kathleen P. Mccoy, E. Mark Cummings, Melissa R.w. George, Patrick T. Davies
    Abstract:

    This study addresses the links between destructive and constructive Marital Conflict and mothers’ and fathers’ parenting to understand associations with children’s social and school adjustment. Multi-method, longitudinal assessments of 235 mothers, fathers, and children (129 girls) were collected across kindergarten, first, and second grades (ages 5-7 at Time 1; ages 7-9 at Time 3). Whereas constructive Marital Conflict was related to both mothers’ and fathers’ warm parenting, destructive Marital Conflict was only linked to fathers’ use of inconsistent discipline. In turn, both mothers’ and fathers’ use of psychological control was related to children’s school adjustment, and mothers’ warmth was related to children’s social adjustment. Reciprocal links between constructs were also explored, supporting associations between destructive Marital Conflict and mothers’ and fathers’ inconsistent discipline. The merit of examining Marital Conflict and parenting as multidimensional constructs is discussed in relation to understanding the processes and pathways within families that affect children’s functioning.

  • Marital Conflict and children an emotional security perspective
    2010
    Co-Authors: Mark E Cummings, Patrick T. Davies
    Abstract:

    Part I: New Directions in the Study of Children and Marital Conflict. Marital Conflict and Risky Families. The Emergence of Process-oriented Approaches: Emotional Security Theory. Part II: Child Effects of Exposure to Marital Conflict. Identifying Constructive and Destructive Marital Conflict. Testing Process-oriented Models of the Direct Effects of Exposure to Marital Conflict. Part III: Contextualizing Marital Conflict. The Role of Parenting in the Context of Marital Conflict: Indirect Pathways and Processes. Contextual Vulnerability and Protective Models. Development Over Time in Contexts of Marital Conflict. Part IV: Future Directions. Applications of Findings and Translational Research. Beyond the Marital Dyad: From Bowlby to Political Violence. Appendices: Coding Systems and Methodology. Appendix A: Conflict in the Interparental System (CIS)-observational Coding. Appendix B: Security in the Interparental Subsystem (SIS) Scale-child Report. Appensix C: Security in the Marital System-parent Report (SIMS-PR) Scale. Appendix D: Advanced Measurement and Research Design Issues for a Process-oriented Approach.

  • Children's Perceived Agency in the Context of Marital Conflict: Relations With Marital Conflict Over Time
    Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 2005
    Co-Authors: Alice C. Schermerhorn, E. Mark Cummings, Patrick T. Davies
    Abstract:

    Consistent with the bidirectional perspective on parent-child relations, the current study examined children’s perceptions of agency in the context of Marital Conflict. A storytelling task was completed by 115 five-year-old children, tapping perceived agency. These children and their mothers and fathers completed measures of Marital Conflict at two time points. Consistent with clinical theory and research (e.g., Emery, 1989, 1999) and with theory about negative emotionality as related to children’s motivation for agency (e.g., Davies & Cummings, 1994), destructive Marital Conflict predicted more negative child emotional reactivity, which predicted greater child perceived agency. By contrast, children’s perceived agency at Time 1 was negatively related to Marital Conflict at Time 2. The results supported the hypothesis that children’s perceived agency about Marital Conflict relates to reduced Marital Conflict over time, controlling for initial level of Marital Conflict. Implications for dynamic conceptualizations of children’s agency from a family-wide perspective are discussed.

  • children and Marital Conflict the impact of family dispute and resolution
    1994
    Co-Authors: Mark E Cummings, Patrick T. Davies
    Abstract:

    Marital Conflict and Child Development. Conflict in the Marital Dyad. Children's Reactions to Marital Conflict. Effects of Specific Aspects of Marital Conflict on Children. Interparental Conflict and the Family. Methodology and Message. Conclusions, Implications, and Guidelines.