Interparental conflict, negative parenting, and children's adjustment: bridging links between parents' depression and children's psychological distress
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Pathways linking parental depressive symptoms, adult relationship insecurity, interparental conflict, negative parenting, and children's psychological adjustment (internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems) were assessed using a 3-wave longitudinal research design. Two-parent families (N = 352) with 11- to 13-year-old children (179 boys, 173 girls) participated in the study. Maternal and paternal depressive symptoms were associated with insecurity in adult close relationships assessed 12 months later, which was concurrently related to heightened levels of interparental conflict. Controlling for children's initial symptom levels, interparental conflict was related to child appraisals of father and mother rejection assessed an additional 12 months later, which were related to children's internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems, respectively. Results are discussed with regard to the implications for understanding the complex interplay between adult depressive symptoms, attributions in close adult relationships, interparental conflict, negative parenting, and children's psychological adjustment.
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Fathers' negative expressiveness significantly mediated the impact of paternal symptoms on children's internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms and emotional insecurity.
“Fathers' negative expressiveness significantly mediated the impact of paternal symptoms on children's internalizing symptoms (Cummings et al. 2013;Keller et al. 2009;Shelton & Harold, 2008), externalizing symptoms (Shelton & Harold, 2008) and emotional insecurity (Cummings et al. 2013).”
From The effects of paternal depression on child and adolescent outcomes: A systematic review (2016) · cites this paper as Shelton & Harold, 2008
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- Authors
- Shelton, K. H., & Harold, G. T.
- Affiliations
- Cardiff University (GB)
- Venue
- Journal of Family Psychology
- Published
- 2008-10
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 712-724
- ISSN
- 0893-3200 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1293
- OpenAlex
- W2163645679
- Cited by
- 199
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 15
- FWCI
- 12.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- figshare.com
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Family Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Leicester Research Archive (University of Leicester) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Keywords
- parental conflict, negative parenting, parental depression, child adjustment, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, relationship insecurity, perceived parental rejection, two-parent families, adolescents
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Aggression, Child, Child Behavior Disorders, Child Reactive Disorders, Depression, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Internal-External Control, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Models, Psychological, Parent-Child Relations, Rejection, Psychology, Sex Factors, Parenting, Family Conflict
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