Work

Interparental Conflict and Adolescents' Romantic Relationship Conflict

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: This study examined associations between interparental conflict and adolescents' romantic relationship conflict. High school seniors (N=183) who lived with married parents completed questionnaires about their parents' marriage and their own romantic relationships. A subset of 88 adolescents was also observed interacting with their romantic partners. Adolescents' perceptions and appraisals of interparental conflict were related to the amount of conflict in romantic relationship and adolescents' conflict styles. Adolescents' appraisals of interparental conflict (i.e., self-blame, perceived threat) moderated many of the associations between interparental conflict and conflict behavior with romantic partners. The patterns of moderated effects differed by gender. These findings suggest that the meanings boys and girls ascribe to interparental conflict are important for understanding how family experiences contribute to the development of romantic relationships.

Source: Journal of Research on Adolescence

DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2009.00635.x

Authors: Valerie A. Simon, Wyndol Furman

Institutions: Wayne State University, University of Denver

Language: English

Topic: Attachment and Relationship Dynamics

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Francis Crick Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Award: Close Relationships and Adjustment from Adolescence to Adulthood