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The role of mothers' and fathers' adrenocortical reactivity in spillover between interparental conflict and parenting practices.

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Guided by the affective spillover hypothesis, the present study examined the mediational role of parental adrenocortical reactivity to interparental conflict in explaining associations between interparental conflict and subsequent changes in mothers' and fathers' parenting practices over a 2-year period in a sample of 202 parents and their 6-year-old children. Results of autoregressive path models indicated that marital withdrawal was associated with increases in adrenocortical reactivity to conflict for mothers but not fathers. Furthermore, elevated adrenocortical reactivity in turn predicted greater psychologically controlling parenting practices and inconsistent discipline over time for mothers, but was not associated with changes in maternal warmth. Implications for clinicians and therapists working with maritally distressed parents and families are discussed.

Source: Journal of Family Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/a0014198

Authors: Melissa L. Sturge-Apple, Patrick T. Davies, Dante Cicchetti, E. Mark Cummings

Institutions: University of Rochester Medicine, University of Rochester, University of Minnesota, University of Notre Dame

Language: English

Topic: Attachment and Relationship Dynamics

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Nursing Research