The role of social cognition in children's adaptation to interparental conflict

1
The role of social cognition in children's
adaptation to inter-parental conflict

• Gordon Harold, PhD.
• School of Psychology
• Cardiff University

2
Introduction and Overview

• Family factors and childrens development
• A review of theory and research
• The importance of the inter-parental relationship
• Highlighting the role of childrens perceptions
  of parental behaviour
• Cardiff Family Study (1999 2004)
• A community study of the effects of family
  factors on childrens emotional, behavioural and
  academic development (age 11 15 years)
• Highlighting the role of childrens social
  cognition
• Assessing effects beyond general indexes of
  psychological adaptation
• Policy and Practice applications of research
• Recent legislative changes

3
How Children are Affected by Families

• Internalising
• Depression, anxiety, withdrawal
• Externalising
• Aggression, hostility, delinquency
• Academic Achievement
• Classroom behaviour academic performance
• Social Competence
• Relations with peers, other adults (teachers)
• Physical Health
• Smoking, drinking, eating problems

4
What Family Factors Affect Children

• Family type and transition
• Single vs., two-parent family
• Separation, divorce, remarriage
• Parent psychological health
• Depression, anti-social behaviour
• Family economic stress
• Economic pressure, SES, work pressure/stress,
  income loss
• Parent-child relations
• Parenting style, communication,
• parent-child conflict
• Inter-parental conflict
• Dissatisfaction, conflict/discord, hostility,
  violence

5
Children are DIRECTLY affected by inter-parental
conflict

• Divorce literature and clinical observation
• Role of inter-parental conflict
• Focus on intact normal families
• Inter-parental Child Adjustment
• Conflict Problems

Time
6
Children are INDIRECTLY affected by
inter-parental conflict

• Children are adversely affected by inter-parental
  problems through disturbances in the parent-child
  relationship
• Parent-Child
• Problems
• Inter-parental Child Adjustment
• Conflict Problems

Time
7
Effects of Witnessing Conflict on Children

• Brain development
• Neurobiological processes (HPA axis)
• Emotional development
• Feelings of anger, fear, shame, guilt, worry
• Cognitive development
• Attributions of self and others, expectations of
  conflict
• Social and Behavioural development
• Peer and romantic relationships

8
The Role of the Childs Perspective

• Cognitions and Context (Grych Fincham, 1990)
• Social cognitive (Attribution) perspective
• Conflict properties (frequency, intensity,
  resolution)
• Threat (threat, coping efficacy)
• Blame (self-blame, content)
• Emotional Security (Davies Cummings, 1994)
• Attachment perspective
• Destructive vs., constructive conflict
• Emotional regulation, representation of family
  relationships, regulation of exposure to conflict
  (intervention, withdrawal)
• A Family-Wide Model (Harold Conger, 1997)
• Social cognitive and family systems perspective
• Childrens perceptions of conflict between
  parents affects childrens representations of
  conflict with parents
• Conflict as context for disrupted appraisals of
  inter-parental and parent-child relations

9
Summary of Research (US based)

• Children of all ages are affected by exposure to
  conflict between adults
• 6 months to 16 years
• Physiological arousal, anxiety, depression,
  aggression, hostility, IQ deficits, low academic
  attainment, poor peer relations, ASB problems
• Role of childrens attributional processes
• From a very early age children show an ability to
  interpret and describe the actions and intentions
  of others
• Particularly parents and familiar others
• Childrens perceptions of inter-parental conflict
  accounts for variation in symptoms of
  psychological distress
• Frequent, intense, child related, poorly resolved
  vs. low animosity, concerns a topic unrelated to
  the child, successfully resolved
• Specific role of Threat and Self-Blame
  attributions (Gender)
• Cross-sectional vs. longitudinal research
• Role of cognition as mediator of effects across
  time?

10
Evidence from a British Study -Questions

• Does witnessing inter-parental conflict affect
  childrens psychological development?
• What are the processes through which
  inter-parental conflict affects childrens
  psychological adjustment?
• What are the implications of living with
  heightened inter-parental conflict for childrens
  adjustment beyond general indexes of adaptation?
• Internalising and externalising problems vs.
  academic attainment

11
Cardiff Family Study

• Sample
• 542 children, parents and teachers (78
  two-parent
• 9 stepparent 11 2 single-parent)
• Three year panel study 1999, 2000, 2001 ( 2004
  GCSE)
• Sample retention Parent 71 (N 387) Child
  and Teacher 90 (N 488)
• Representative of families living in England and
  Wales - family constitution, ethnic
  representation, economic diversity (Social
  Trends, 2000).
• Method
• Interview
• Family communication, problem solving, family
  relations etc.,
• Questionnaire
• Parents Couple relationship, parent-child
  relationship, symptoms of depression and anxiety,
  family economic conditions, styles of family
  interaction, parenting style, childrens
  emotional and behavioural well-being
• Children Parent relationship, parent-child
  relationship, family economic conditions, styles
  of family interaction, emotional and behavioural
  well-being, family and school support, substance
  use,
• Teachers Child emotional and behavioural well
  being, academic performance

12

• Does witnessing inter-parental conflict affect
• childrens psychological development?

13
Childrens Aggressive Behaviour
14
Childrens Substance Use
15
Childrens Academic Attainment
16

• What are the processes through which
  inter-parental conflict affects childrens
  psychological adjustment?

17
1999 (Time 1)
2000 (Time 2)
Childrens Appraisals of Self-Blame
Childrens Appraisals of Self-Blame
.48
Anti-social
.18
Hostility
R2 .16
Teacher agg
Discord
Child agg
Satisfaction
.13
.72
.89
R2 .34
.83
.87
.29
.65
.13
.25
.19
Childrens Externalizing Problems
Marital Conflict
.04NS
.16
R2 .41
R2 .63
.14
.05NS
R2 .08
Childrens Appraisals of Threat
Childrens Appraisals of Threat
.58
.19
.35
.02NS
Anti-social
.12NS
Teacher agg
.22
Child agg
.71
DF 49 Chi Sq 72.01 GFI .96 AGFI .93 N
298 RMSEA .039
.35
.81
Childrens Externalizing Problems
.69
Grych, Harold Miles, 2003, Child Development.
18
Measures

• Interparental Conflict
• Parent report Hostility, Iowa Youth and Families
  Project Ratings Scales (Melby et al., 1993
  ?.88) Hostility, OLeary-Porter scale (Porter
  OLeary, 1980 ?.86) Satisfaction,
  Locke-Wallace (?. 82)
• Child report Conflict Properties subscale of the
  CPIC (frequency, intensity and resolution of
  conflict between parents Grych, Seid Fincham,
  1992 ?. 79).
• Perceptions of Self-Blame
• Child report Self-Blame subscale of the CPIC
  (Grych et al., 1992 ?.89). This subscale
  measures the extent to which children blame
  themselves or feel responsible for conflict
  between parents.
• Perceptions of Threat
• Child report Threat subscale of the CPIC (Grych
  et al., 1992 ?.89). This subscale measures the
  extent to which children feel threatened as well
  as their perceived coping efficacy in relation to
  conflict between parents
• Adolescent Internalising Symptoms and
  Externalising Problems
• Teacher report (Externalising) Teachers
  completed the aggression subscale (?.94) of the
  Teacher Report Form of the Child Behavior
  Checklist (TRF CBCL Achenbach, 1991).
• Child report Externalising - Children completed
  the Buss and Durkee (1957) measure of antisocial
  and delinquent behavior (?.83). Internalising -
  Youth Self-Report of the Child Behaviour
  Checklist (Depression/Anxiety, ?.86) Child
  Depression Inventory (?.89)

19
Time 1 (1999)
Time 2 (2000)
Childrens Appraisals of Self-Blame
Childrens Appraisals of Self-Blame
Parents Report of Marital Conflict
Childrens Externalizing
Childrens Appraisals of Threat
Childrens Appraisals of Threat
Childrens Externalizing
Grych, Harold Miles, 2003, Child Development.
20
Time 1 (1999)
Time 2 (2000)
Childrens Appraisals of Self-Blame
Childrens Appraisals of Self-Blame
Parents Report of Marital Conflict
Childrens Internalizing
Childrens Appraisals of Threat
Childrens Appraisals of Threat
Childrens Internalizing
Grych, Harold Miles, 2003, Child Development.
21
1999 (Time 1)
2000 (Time 2)
Childrens Appraisals of Self-Blame
Childrens Appraisals of Self-Blame
.48
Anti-social
.18
Hostility
R2 .16
Teacher agg
Discord
Child agg
Satisfaction
.13
.72
.89
R2 .34
.83
.87
.29
.65
.13
.25
.19
Childrens Externalizing Problems
Marital Conflict
.04NS
.16
R2 .41
R2 .63
.14
.05NS
R2 .08
Childrens Appraisals of Threat
Childrens Appraisals of Threat
.58
.19
.35
.02NS
Anti-social
.12NS
Teacher agg
.22
Child agg
.71
DF 49 Chi Sq 72.01 GFI .96 AGFI .93 N
298 RMSEA .039
.35
.81
Childrens Externalizing Problems
.69
Grych, Harold Miles, 2003, Child Development.
22

• What implications does inter-parental conflict
  have for childrens academic attainment?

23
Family School Interface

• What children learn at home affects what children
  can learn outside the home (Welsh Schoolteacher)
• Outcome becomes influence?
• Depression/anxiety aggression/hostility
• Aggression/Hostility Low Academic
  Attainment
• Importance of academic attainment
• Academic success Adult well being
• Little is known about family factors that
  influence variation in childrens academic
  attainment
• The present study
• Interparental conflict linked to variation in
  adolescent academic attainment
• (1) negative parent-child relations
• (2) externalizing problems
• (3) perceptions of self-blame for parents
  marital arguments

24
Age 11 years
Age 12 years
Age 13 years

Harsh / Rejecting Parenting
.01ns
.51
R2.12
.20a
Child
R2.26
Aggn
.67
.57
Low Academic Attainment
Interparental Conflict
Externalising Problems
.27
.12
.36
.56
.70
R2.32
.71
.93
Delnq
.39
.87
.23
Parent
English
Maths
R2.15
.17
Science
Perceptions of Self-Blame and Responsibility
?22062.38 GFI0.94 AGFI0.88 N236
Harold, Aitken Shelton (in revision), Journal
of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
25
Measures

• Inter-parental Conflict
• Parent and child reports Spouse Hostility, Iowa
  Youth and Families Project Ratings Scales (
  ?.88) and the OLeary-Porter scale (?.86)
  Child, Conflict Properties subscale of the CPIC
  (frequency, intensity and Resolution subscales
  ?. 80 to .89).
• Hostile-Rejecting Parenting
• Child report Rejection-Withdrawal subscale
  (CRPBI ?.91).
• Perceptions of Self-Blame
• Child report Self-Blame subscale of the CPIC
  (Grych et al., 1992 ?.89). This subscale
  measures the extent to which children blame
  themselves or feel responsible for conflict
  between parents.
• Adolescent Externalizing Problems
• Teacher report Teachers completed the aggression
  subscale (?.94) of the Teacher Report Form of
  the CBCL (Achenbach, 1991).
• Child report Children completed the Buss and
  Durkee (1957) measure of antisocial and
  delinquent behavior (?.83)
• Adolescent Academic Attainment
• Standardised examination grades (Key Stage Three)
  in three core subject areas in the UK (English,
  Math, Science). Key Stage Three exams are tests
  in core subjects that British school students sit
  at the end of their third year of secondary
  school (age 13 or 14 years). Grades were recoded
  (7Lo, 1Hi), representing an ordinal index of
  low academic attainment.

26
Age 11 years
Age 12 years
Age 13 years

Harsh / Rejecting Parenting
.01ns
.51
.25
R2.12
.20a
.12ns
Child
R2.26
.49
Aggn
.67
.57
.21a
.14ns
Low Academic Attainment
.11ns
.10ns
Interparental Conflict
Externalising Problems
.27
.12
.36
.56
.70
R2.32
.71
.93
Delnq
.39
.87
.23
Parent
.37
English
Maths
R2.15
.17
.31
Science
Perceptions of Self-Blame and Responsibility
.25
?22062.38 GFI0.94 AGFI0.88 N236
27
Summary of Research

• Children of all ages are affected by conflict
  across the spectrum
• Depression, aggression, anxiety, hostility, low
  self-esteem, low social competence (peers,
  teachers), delinquency, low academic attainment
• Low warmth High Hostility
• Not if conflict occurs, but how conflict is
  expressed and managed by adults
• Constructive vs. destructive conflict management
• Importance of the childs active interpretation
  of parents management of conflict
• Witnessing conflict directly affects childrens
  psychological development
• Importance of the childs perspective
• Active agents rather than invisible victims
• Childrens cognitive representations of conflict
  between adults (causes, implications,
  consequences) explains variation in their
  adaptation/adjustment (why some do well, while
  others dont)

28
Implications for Practice and Policy

• Domestic violence and child development
• Children and Adoption Act (2002)
• Witnessing DV as child protection concern
• ESRC funded study of children (aged 812 years)
  living in the general community and exposed to
  domestic violence (NSPCC, Womens Aid, Womens
  Safety Unit)
• Process vs. Outcome oriented approach
• Development of evidence led Risk-Assessment
  Toolkit for children who witness domestic
  violence (CAFCASS Welsh Assembly Government)

29

• Contact Details
• Gordon Harold, Ph.D.
• School of Psychology
• Cardiff University
• Tower Building
• Park Place
• Cardiff CF10 3AT.
• Phone [phone], E-mail Harold_at_cf.ac.uk
• This research was supported by grants awarded by
  the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC
  R000222569) and The British Academy.