INTERPARENTAL CONFLICT AS A RISK FACTOR FOR CHILD MALADJUSTMENT: Implications for the Development of Prevention Programs

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1617.2005.00010.x
• Published date: 01 January 2005
• Date: 01 January 2005
• Author: John H. Grych

FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Vol. 43 No. 1, January 2005 97–108

© 2005 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

Blackwell Publishing, Ltd.Oxford, UKFCREFamily Court Review1531-2445© Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, 2004431Original Article

Grych / INTERPARENTAL CONFLICT AS A RISK FACTOR FOR CHILD MALADJUSTMENTFAMILY COURT REVIEW

INTERPARENTAL CONFLICT AS A RISK FACTOR

FOR CHILD MALADJUSTMENT:

Implications for the Development of Prevention Programs

John H. Grych

Marquette University Abstract

This article reviews research on the effects of interparental conflict on children and examines its implications

for divorce education programs designed to reduce conflict after divorce. Basic research indicates that prevention

programs for parents will be most effective in fostering children’s adaptation to divorce if they can reduce the

level of destructive conflict that children are exposed to, foster good parent–child relationships, and keep children

from being caught in the middle of parental tensions and disagreements. Programs for children are likely to be

most helpful if they help children learn ways to cope with situations in which they feel pressured to side with

one parent against the other and avoid feeling responsible for parental problems

.

Although psycho-educational

programs are widely available and often court-mandated, evaluation studies are rare and support for their efficacy

is mixed.

Keywords:

interparental conflict

;

divorce

;

child adjustment

;

prevention

Children exposed to high levels of interparental conflict are at risk for developing a

range of emotional and behavioral problems, both during childhood and later in life (see

Grych & Fincham, 2001; Kelly, 2000). In addition to exhibiting higher levels of anxiety,

depression, and disruptive behavior, children who witness hostility and aggression between

their parents are more likely to be abusive toward romantic partners in adolescence and

adulthood (for a review, see Wekerle & Wolfe, 1999) and to have higher rates of divorce and

maladjustment in adulthood (Amato & Sobolewski, 2001). A meta-analysis of sixty-eight

studies (Buehler et al., 1997) found that the magnitude of the association between inter-

parental conflict and child maladjustment was nearly twice that reported for the effect of

divorce on children (Amato & Keith, 1991). In fact, some of the adverse effects attributed

to divorce can be traced to the conflict that often precedes and follows marital dissolution,

rather than to marital separation per se (e.g., Emery, 1999; Hetherington, Bridges, &

Insabella, 1998).

It is in the context of divorce and disputes regarding child custody that highly conflictual

couples are most likely to come into contact with family courts. Recognition of the critical

role that conflict plays in children’s adaptation to divorce has led to widespread utilization

of psycho-educational programs that strive to reduce conflict and promote positive parent–

child relationships in separating couples. The number of counties in the United States

offering court-connected programs for divorcing couples tripled during the 1990s (Geasler

& Blaisure, 1999) and they are now available in nearly half of the counties in the U.S.

(Geelhoed, Blaisure, & Geasler, 2001). Many counties and several states (e.g., Arizona,

Hawaii) now require divorcing spouses to attend a program, whereas it is optional in other

jurisdictions. Similar programs have been developed for children but are much less

common and are less likely to be mandated by family courts (Geelhoed et al., 2001).

Although divorce education programs generally are well-accepted and widely used by

family courts, there is relatively little empirical evidence that they reduce parental conflict