Citation

Grych JH, Fincham FD. Child Dev. 1993; 64(1): 215-230.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign 61820.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8436030

Abstract

2 studies examined children's appraisals of marital conflict. In Study 1, 45 11- and 12-year-olds reported cognitive, affective, and coping responses to conflicts varying in content and intensity. When conflict concerned the child, children reported more shame and fear of being drawn into the conflict and tended to endorse coping responses that involved direct intervention in it. More intense conflicts led to greater negative affect and perceived threat. In Study 2, 112 12-year-olds responded to conflicts that included a parent-blaming or child-blaming explanation or gave no explanation for the conflict. Explanations that absolved the children of blame for the conflict decreased their fear of becoming involved in the conflict and their desire to intervene in it. These findings show that appraisals of marital conflict are influenced by its content, intensity, and cause and suggest that the meaning of conflict to children is an important determinant of its impact.

Language: en