Children and Marital Conflict The Impact of Family Dispute and Resolution

by Cummings, E. Mark; Davies, Patrick T.

• ISBN13: 9780898623031
• ISBN10: 0898623030
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1994-02-18
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

It has long been assumed that family fights have a negative effect on children. Recent findings from research and clinical practice indicate that it is not necessarily the presence of marital conflict that adversely affects children, but, more specifically, how disagreements are handled within the family. Reviewing the now extensive literature on the subject, this volume examines the impact of familial discord on children and presents strategies for clinicians to help parents resolve differences more effectively for the sake of their children, as well as their marriage.

Chapters consider the long-term impact of marital discord on children and relate this to what is known about the risk for the development of psychopathology. Reviewing the research on marital interactions in both distressed and nondistressed couples, the authors consider conflict styles of distressed marriages, the bases for marital distress, long-term consequences of marital anger and apathy, and better ways of fighting. The emotional, behavioral, and even physiological impact of interadult and interparental expressions of anger on bystanding children are also examined.

Other highlights include:
* Models of different styles of family and marital relations
* Up-to-date research on family processes
* Illustrative case examples
* Descriptions of children's responses in both laboratory and field studies
* Important, bottom-line prescriptions for therapists,
educators, and parents

While the review of the scientific evidence on these important questions is exhaustive, the information is presented so that it is accessible to students and parents as well as clinicians, researchers, and academics. This text functions as a resource for clinicians, providing information on clinical processes and outcomes; a guidebook for educators, policy makers, and parents especially in terms of the treatment of issues pertaining to constructive versus destructive methods of dispute; and a scholarly reference for academics and researchers in the child and family areas, offering a state-of-the-art review of current literature.

Author Biography

E. Mark Cummings, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at West Virginia University. His numerous publications focus on the functioning of children in the family, and the significance of the family for children's adjustment and development. He is particularly concerned with the importance of emotional relationships and expressions. His work has been featured on 20/20, USA Today, CNN, and in the Washington Post and Parent's Magazine, among other media.

Patrick Davies, M.A., is a doctoral student at West Virginia University. His work and research interest focuses on the development of children within families.

Table of Contents

Marital Conflict and Child Development	1	(12)
Conflict in the Marital Dyad	13	(24)
Children's Reactions to Marital Conflict	37	(25)
Effects of Specific Aspects of Marital Conflict on Children	62	(25)
Interparental Conflict and the Family	87	(24)
Methodology and Message	111	(20)
Conclusions, Implications, and Guidelines	131	(20)
References	151	(38)
Index	189