LINKING MARITAL VIOLENCE, MOTHER-CHILD FATHER-CHILD AGGRESSION, AND CHILD-BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

Previous research indicates that observation of marital violence has a deleterious impact on children's adjustment. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this relationship. The present study examined the relationships between observation of marital violence, mo ther-child aggression, father-child aggression, and child behavior pro blems in a sample of 185 children (ages 7 to 13) and their mothers who were residing at battered women shelters. A significant positive asso ciation was found between amount of marital violence witnessed and fat her-child aggression. However, the correlation between the amount of m arital violence witnessed and mother-child aggression was not signific ant. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that both the amount of marital violence witnessed as well as mother-child aggression were si gnificantly related to child behavior problems, even when controlling for the effects of child age, race, and father status (i.e., whether t he mother's palmer was the biological father or stepfather/cohabitee). Family violence variables were better predictors of girls' rather tha n boys' behavior problems, particularly externalizing behavior problem scores. The lack of significance between father-child aggression and child behavior problems, as well as the implications of the findings, are discussed.