MARITAL DISCORD, PARENTING AND CHILD OUTCOMES

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The focal problem of the proposed investigation is the identification of the processes by which marital conflict is linked to child behavior problems of young boys and girls. A multimethod measurement strategy is proposed which would create a data base of synchronized video and autonomic data from families who vary in marital satisfaction. The proposed study is longitudinal; 120 families will be followed from the 5 to 7 year period of their preschool child's life. A variety of child outcomes will be assessed, including cognitive, social (peer interaction), and behavioral (parent and teacher ratings). The study is based on a theory referred to as social DPA theory; DPA refers to a construct, Diffuse Physiological Arousal. The proposed investigation seeks to contribute to two areas of the psychological literature: (1) the transfer of marital discord from the marital to the parent-child and peer systems, and (2) emotional development in preschool children. This study will employ a two-stage sampling procedure. Stage One will begin by recruiting a relatively large pool of intact families with a preschool child, and then screen for different levels of marital satisfaction. Stage Two involves a further classification of families high in marital discord into those who do and do not transfer negative affect from the marital to the parent/child interaction. The determination of whether transfer has occurred will be done using an on-line coder, who will code the amount of negative, positive and neutral affect during the marital and parent-child interaction sessions. The experimental design will be a 3 x 2 design, with one factor being Child Gender (Male, Female) and the other factor being Family Classification. Families will be classified into three groups: (1) High Marital Satisfaction, (2) Low Marital Satisfaction and No Transfer of Marital Discord to the child, and (3) Low Marital Satisfaction and Transfer of Marital Discord to the child.