Children's responses to adult–adult and mother–child arguments: The role of parental marital conflict and distress.

Abstract

Children's responses to verbal and physical conflict between adult-adult, mother-girl, and mother-boy participants were examined as a function of parental marital conflict. Seven- to 9-year-olds viewed videotaped arguments and were then interviewed. In comparison with children from low-conflict homes, children from high-conflict homes perceived the actors engaged in both the interadult and mother-child disputes as more angry and reported feeling more fearful during these arguments. The results extend support for the sensitization hypothesis and indicate that parental marital conflict exacerbates children's perceptions of conflict and fear responding to not only interadult disputes but also to mother-girl and mother-boy conflict.