Mr. Dadds et al., Family conflict and child adjustment: Evidence for a cognitive-contextual model of intergenerational transmission, J FAM PSYCH, 13(2), 1999, pp. 194-208
Three cohorts of 10- to 14-year-old adolescents were sampled to obtain perc
eptions of their parents' conflict-resolution styles, their own conflict-re
solution styles, and their behavioral adjustment, to test J. H. Grych and F
. D. Fincham's (1990) cognitive-contextual model of the relationship of mar
ital conflict to child adjustment. As found previously, boys and girls were
not exposed to different levels or types of interparental conflict, althou
gh boys tended to blame themselves more. Adolescents' reports of their own
conflict-resolution styles with siblings were clearly related to level and
types of their more general adjustment levels. A series of regressions supp
orted Grych and Fincham's model for internalizing problems (and avoidant re
solution style) in adolescents; only minimal support was found with externa
lizing problems (and attacking resolution style). Gender-specific patterns
of intergenerational transmission of resolution styles were found and are d
iscussed.