Understanding children’s emotional processes and behavioral strategies in the context of marital conflict

Abstract

Marital conflict is a distressing context in which children must regulate their emotion and behavior, however, the associations between the multidimensionality of conflict and children’s regulatory processes needs to be examined. The current study examined differences in children’s (n = 207; M = 8.02 years) emotions (mad, sad, scared, and happy) and behavioral strategies to regulate conflict exposure during resolved, unresolved, escalating, and child-rearing marital conflict vignettes. Children’s cortisol levels were assessed in relation to child-rearing and resolved conflict vignettes. Anger and sadness were associated with escalating and child-rearing conflicts; fearfulness was related to escalating and unresolved conflicts. Children’s happiness was associated with resolution. Anger was associated with children’s strategies to stop conflict; whereas, sadness was associated with monitoring and avoidant strategies. Cortisol recovery moderated the link between fearfulness and behavioral regulation. These results highlight the importance of children’s emotions and regulatory processes in understanding the impact of marital conflict.

Parental Problem Drinking, Marital Aggression, and Child Emotional Insecurity: A Longitudinal Investigation

“…These results are consistent with the hypothesis that children exposed to PPD avoid more active responses to highly aggressive confl ict because such active responses may be dangerous (Keller et al, 2007). Children's anger has been linked to increases in the use of active involvement to stop child-rearing confl ict (Koss et al, 2011), and thus reduced anger may prevent children from becoming involved in dangerous confl ict. However, the experience of less anger along with the up-regulation of positive affect in the context of PPD and physical marital aggression may indicate a callous or avoidant response.…”

Asymmetry in children's salivary cortisol and alpha‐amylase in the context of marital conflict: Links to children's emotional security and adjustment

“…Marital Conflict Vignettes. Children were shown a series of seven videotaped clips depicting conflict between two adults (Koss et al, 2011;Shamir, Cummings, Davies, & Goeke-Morey, 2005). Children were asked to pretend that each of the disagreements was taking place between their parents.…”

Neuroendocrine coupling across adolescence and the longitudinal influence of early life stress

“…A substantial body of research has established that exposure to a non-optimal rearing environment early in life has long-term effects on developing neurophysiological pathways that may have profound implications for later development and health (Gunnar & Quevedo, 2007). While the influence of ELS exposure (e.g., parental depression, marital conflict) on later cortisol levels has been well established (Ashman, Dawson, Panagiotides, Yamada, & Wilkinson, 2002;Essex, Klein, Cho, & Kalin, 2002;Essex et al, 2011b;Koss et al, 2011Koss et al, , 2013, the effects of ELS on DHEA and testosterone have been less thoroughly examined. Ellis and Essex (2007) found that parental reports of family functioning and mental health predicted children's accelerated sexual development, including elevated levels of DHEA.…”

“…Further, given that substantial evidence suggests that psychosocial stress has been shown to result in advanced pubertal development and timing in girls, we anticipate that ELS may elicit altered HPA‐HPG coupling patterns only in girls. Given our own (Ellis & Essex, ; Essex et al, ) and others' work (Ashman et al, ; Ellis & Garber, ; Koss et al, ) that considered the effects of specific types of ELS, we anticipate that the negative effects of ELS on hormone coupling may be driven by high levels of parental depression and family expressed anger.…”