1. Inter-Parent Aggression Predicts Children’s Relationally but not Physically Aggressive Social Problem Solving
Amanda W. Harrist1, Julie M. Rutledge2, Chao Liu1, & Hua Lin1, 1Oklahoma State University & 2Louisiana Tech University
Table 1. Correlation: Marital Conflict Tactics and Child Relational Aggressiona
 Marital Conflict Kindergarten 1st Grade nd Grade rd Grade
Mother-to-Father
Verbal Discussion *
Verbal Aggression *
Hostile-Indirect Withdrawal
Physical Aggression **
Father-to-Mother
Verbal Discussion * *
Verbal Aggression
Hostile-Indirect Withdrawal *
Physical Aggression * *
_____________________________________________________________
Note: *p < .05, **p < .01, 2-tailed. aBivariates for Physical Aggression were n.s.
Past research has consistently found marital
conflict can negatively impact children’s social
development, increasing the likelihood of physical aggression and other behavior problems. Studies of the link between inter-parent conflict and child aggression have only examined physical aggression, not relational aggression.
Part of understanding the marital conflict/child aggression link involves examining child social cognitive patterns which may lead to aggressive behavior. Children in maritally discordant homes may develop maladaptive social problem solving (SPS) that, in turn, increases their likelihood of behaving aggressively. This may happen through modeling/imitation or by filtering their experiences through the felt insecurity caused by the conflict. Because marital conflict occurs in the context of a close relationship, it may have a particularly strong impact on children’s relational aggression; young children may come to believe that intentionally damaging a relationship is acceptable. Yet relationally aggressive SPS has not been examined as a mechanism in the marital conflict/child aggression link.
Background
Data Collection, cont.
Both parents filled out questionnaire during child assessment
Conflict Tactics Scale (Strauss, 1979), “Past year”
Subscales assessed λ of Verbal Discussion, Verbal Aggression, Hostile-Indirect Withdrawal Tactics, and Physical Aggression directed toward and received from spouse; higher score used
Reliability: α range = .85 to .97
Research Questions
Gender Moderation. To test whether gender moderates the relation between marital conflict and child SPS, regression equations were computed with RA or PA regressed on Child Gender, Parent Conflict Tactic, and a Gender-by-Conflict Tactic Interaction term. Two equations showed significant interaction effects, both in Kindergarten and both involving child Physical Aggression (which was not predicted by any marital conflict variables at the bivariate level in Kindergarten).
For Kindergarten Boys (but not Girls), there was a positive relation between
Mother-to-Father Verbal Aggression  Physically Aggressive SPS
For Kindergarten Girls (but not Boys), there was a positive relation between
Father-to-Mother Verbal Aggression  Physically Aggressive SPS
How do marital conflict tactics (discussion, verbal
aggression, hostile withdrawal, and physical aggression) differentially relate to children’s relational vs. physical SPS patterns, and does child gender make a difference?
Gender Differences in Proportion of SPS Responses Given
Relationally Aggressive SPS
Girls generated more RA than Boys in K-- 2nd grade
ts from 1.89 to 2.48, ps < .008, .004, .01, respectively
Physically Aggressive SPS
Boys generated more PA than Girls beginning in 2nd grade
ts = and -2.42, ps < and .009
Method
Sample
447 children (49% females) and their married parents
Part of the Child Development Project (Dodge, Pettit, & Bates)
Data Collection
Children assessed yearly, kindergarten – 3rd grade.
SPS assessment conducted in the home
Child freely generated SPS solutions to 8 hypothetical problematic social situations
Responses coded as Physical Aggression (PA), Relational Aggression (RA), or Other
Proportion scores (#responses/total responses generated across 8 stories) were computed
Reliability: Κ range = .61 to .80
Relational aggression was better predicted by marital conflict
tactics than was physical aggression. However, when gender
was accounted for, physical aggression was predicted by parent verbal aggression, but only in cross-gender parent-kindergartner dyads.
Relationally aggressive problem-solving was predicted by each type of negative marital tactic: both parents’ physical aggression (3 times), father hostile withdrawal, and mother verbal aggression. It may be that, rather than imitating parents, children react to marital discord by attempting to manipulate social relationships, as a control attempt.
Marital discussion, a positive tactic, appeared to buffer the child’s use of relational aggression by 3rd grade; perhaps children learn a constructive style of communication in the face of problems as they become more cognitively mature or better regulated.
Inter-parental conflict was unrelated (at the bivariate
level) to children’s Physically Aggressive SPS
responses across all 4 years, but was significantly correlated (ps < .05) with children’s Relationally Aggressive SPS responses in 25% of the correlations computed (Table 1). Marital conflict predicted no SPS patterns in kindergarten, but did in subsequent years. Marital Aggression (verbal and physical) and Hostile-Indirect tactics were positively associated with Relational Aggression; results involving Verbal Discussion, however were mixed.
Discussion
Results
Acknowledgements: This project has been supported, in part, grant MH42498 from the National Institute of Mental Health awarded to Dodge, Bates, & Pettit, and . National Science Foundation’s
Research Experience for Undergraduate, funded by Grant No. SES awarded to Dr. Melanie Page. For reprints of this poster, please