This study examined whether childhood interparental conflict moderated the mediational pathway involving adolescent exposure to interparental conflict, their negative emotional reactivity to family conflict, and their psychological problems in a sample of 235 children (M[subscript age] = 6 years). Significant moderated-mediation findings indicated…

This study examined interparental conflict as a linear and curvilinear predictor of subsequent changes in adolescents' negative emotional reactivity and cortisol functioning during family conflict and, in turn, their psychological difficulties. In addition, adolescents' negative emotional reactivity and cortisol functioning during family conflict…

The manner in which mothers engage in emotional discussion, or reminisce, with their young children about past emotional experiences poses important ramifications for child socioemotional and cognitive development. Maltreating mothers may have difficulty engaging in emotionally supportive reminiscing. The current study examined the role of…

Although social difficulties have been identified as sequelae of children's experiences with interparental conflict and insecurity, little is known about the specific mechanisms underlying their vulnerability to social problems. Guided by emotional security theory, this study tested the hypothesis that children's emotional insecurity mediates…

Building on empirical documentation of children's involvement in interparental conflicts as a weak predictor of psychopathology, we tested the hypothesis that involvement in conflict more consistently serves as a moderator of associations between children's emotional reactivity to interparental conflict and their psychological problems. In Study…

Skin conductance level reactivity (SCLR) was examined as a moderator of the association between harsh parenting and child externalizing behavior. Participants were 251 boys and girls (8-9 years). Mothers and fathers provided reports of harsh parenting and their children's externalizing behavior; children also provided reports of harsh parenting.…

This study examined how children's insecure internal representations of interparental and parent-child relationships served as explanatory mechanisms in multiple pathways linking interparental conflict and parent emotional unavailability with the emotional and classroom engagement difficulties the children had in their adjustment to school. With…

Preschoolers' heart rate and skin conductance were monitored while they listened to angry interactions between adults. Members of an experimental group were allowed to terminate the interaction or propose an intervention. Children in the experimental group had more physiological reactions to adult anger than did control group children. (BC)

Sixty-four young children were induced to feel angry, sad, happy, or "just okay" before their exposure to interadult anger. Findings indicated that negative emotions increased children's distress and negative appraisals and expectations in reaction to interadult anger, whereas positive emotions reduced distress reactions and increased children's…

Two studies presented 5- to 6-year-old and 9- to 10-year-old children with videotaped scenarios of interadult conflicts ending in various ways. Study 1 demonstrated that negative effects of adults' disputes on children are reduced even by "resolution behind closed doors," whereas study 2 showed that negative reactions are also reduced by…

Preschoolers' normative patterns, individual styles, and developmental changes in coping with anger between others (background anger) were examined. Pairs of children were observed playing while two adults in an adjacent room verbally expressed anger toward each other. Children were also interviewed concerning the feelings they had during the…

Influence of others' emotions on the emotions and aggression of 2-year-olds was examined. Dyads of familiar peers were exposed during play to a sequence of experimental manipulations of background emotions of warmth and anger. Theoretical and practical implications of sensitivity to others' conflicts and interpersonal problems in toddlers are also…

Examined responses of 63 children of 4-9 years to different forms of expression of anger. Angry interactions between adults elicited anger and distress in young children and were discriminated from more positive interactions. Children responded negatively to unresolved expressions of anger. (RJC)

Examined 5- to 7- and 9- to 12-year-olds' responses to videotaped interadult conflicts in which the content and emotion of endings were either consistent or discrepant. Both younger and older children responded to content and emotion cues with their perceptions of adults' anger and conflict resolution, with positive emotion and nonconflictual…

Consistent with the bidirectional perspective on parent-child relations, the current study examined children's perceptions of agency in the context of marital conflict. A storytelling task was completed by 11 5 five-year-old children, tapping perceived agency. These children and their mothers and fathers completed measures of marital conflict at…