Marital Aggression, Mother's Problem-Solving Behavior with Children, and Children's Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Abstract

This study examined: 1) the relationship between marital aggression and mother's behavior during problem-solving interactions with her child, and 2) the contribution of these two variables to the prediction of children's emotional and behavioral problems. Forty-three mother-child dyads and 35 of the children's teachers were included in this investigation. Marital aggression was assessed by mothers and children; mother's problem solving behavior with children was assessed using both questionnaire and observational measures; and child emotional and behavioral adjustment was assessed by mothers, children, and teachers. The pattern of results obtained suggests that mother's involvement in aggressive marital conflict is significantly related to angry and power assertive maternal behavior during problem-solving interactions with children. Both marital aggression and mothers' reported use of power assertion during problem-solving interactions with children contributed uniquely to the prediction of mother reports of child externalizing behavior problems, while only mothers' reported use of power assertion contributed significantly to the prediction of mother reported child internalizing behavior problems. Only marital aggression, however, contributed significantly to the prediction of child and teacher reports of child problems.