title: Hostility, hostile detachment, and conflict engagement in marriages: effects on child and family functioning.
abstract: This study examined the relations between patterns of marital communication, child adjustment, and family functioning. Couples with a 4- or 5-year-old child were divided into three groups (N = 126) based on observed patterns of emotional communication: Hostile couples showed a cumulative increase in negative speaker behaviors over the course of a high-conflict marital discussion; hostile-withdrawn couples showed a cumulative increase in both negative speaker and negative listener behaviors over the course of the interaction; and engaged couples showed a cumulative increase in both positive speaker and listener behaviors over the course of the interaction. The families of these three types of couples were then compared on child outcomes (i.e., peer relations, behavior problems), parenting quality, co-parenting quality, and family-level functioning. Differences in marital violence and marital satisfaction between marital couples were also examined in relation to family risk. Families in which couples were hostile-detached showed the most negative outcomes. Hostile-detached couples were more likely than hostile or conflict-engaging couples to use more power-assertive methods of discipline; to be ineffective in co-parenting their child; to have family units that were less cohesive, less playful, and more conflictual; and to have children that exhibited behavior problems. Results also indicated that marital typology still accounted for significant variance in child outcome after controlling for marital violence and marital satisfaction. Differences in the absolute degree of negative behaviors also did not account for results. Findings are discussed in terms of the detrimental impact of marital conflict on child and family functioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA. katzlf@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Lynn Fainsilber
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Erica M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Woodin
mesh_terms: D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D009769:Object Attachment; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010379:Peer Group; D010553:Personality Development; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012951:Socialization