Keywords

attributions of conflict, parent-child relationship, attachment, psychological abuse, physical abuse, emerging adults, interparental conflict, parent-child conflict

Abstract

The impact of parents' marital conflict and parent-child conflict on the adjustment of children is well documented. Given the theoretical and empirical data to support a relationship between experiencing interparental and parent-child conflict during childhood and later conflict in romantic relationships, it is important to investigate the potential mechanisms that operate in this relationship. Thus, the present study sought to investigate the extent to which attributions of conflict mediate the relationship between experiencing interparental and parent-child conflict and later conflict in a romantic relationship. Results were based on the responses of emerging adults (190 males and 473 females) enrolled in psychology courses at a large southeastern university. Compared to males, females reported experiencing lower levels of permissive parenting, as well as higher levels of interparental psychological aggression, maternal emotional availability, attachment with mothers and peers, and overt violence in their current romantic relationships. Consistent with extant research, significant correlations were found among interparental conflict, parent-child conflict, attributions of conflict, parenting style, emotional availability of parents, attachment, and conflict with current romantic partners. Regression analyses (for males and females separately) suggested that different types of interparental and parent-child conflict predict greater hostile attributions and greater levels of conflict with current romantic partners. Although attributions of conflict predicted conflict with current romantic partners, conflict attributions did not mediate the relationship between family conflict and conflict with current romantic partners. These findings emphasized the importance of research investigating the long-term cognitive and emotional effects of family conflict and violence in order to provide a context for understanding the development of risk and resilience factors for relationship violence.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2008

Advisor

Renk, Kimberly

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree Program

Psychology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0002353

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002353

Language

English

Release Date

December 2013

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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Included in

Psychology Commons

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