Exploring the association between interparental conflict and parenting behaviors: Through the family systems perspective

Gong, Qiujie

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124533 Copy

Description

Title

Exploring the association between interparental conflict and parenting behaviors: Through the family systems perspective

Author(s)

Gong, Qiujie

Issue Date

2024-04-18

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Kramer, Karen Z.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Kramer, Karen Z.

Committee Member(s)

• McElwain, Nancy L.
• Barton, Allen W.
• Garthe, Rachel

Department of Study

Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies

Discipline

Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

Interparental Conflict, Parenting, Family Systems Theory

Abstract

Interparental conflict is a prevalent issue in many families. According to the family systems theory, and specifically the spillover theory, interparental conflict within a family can impact not only the relationship between parents but also their interactions with their children, which could further influence the overall development of the family. Previous research has linked interparental conflict with lower marital quality, more negative parenting practices, and greater externalizing and adjustment problems in children. While the spillover effect of interparental conflict on parenting practices has been supported in prior studies, this dissertation seeks to delve deeper into this spillover process across various contexts. Specifically, it examines factors such as conflict resolution strategies, the mediating role of relationship quality, and dyadic interactions between parents. Furthermore, this dissertation also integrates the dynamic systems perspective to provide an exploration of the spillover process in a dynamic context, illustrating how interparental conflict might change over time and impact parenting behaviors. Studies employ data from two national and longitudinal datasets, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies (ECLS-B) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), to offer a longitudinal insight into these dynamics. Focusing specifically on heterosexual nuclear families, this research comprises three studies designed to provide a nuanced understanding of the association between interparental conflict and parenting practices from different perspectives. While prior research mainly emphasized the negative impacts of interparental conflict on couple relationships, the first study in this dissertation suggests that the presence of conflict does not inevitably lead to deteriorated relationship quality. This variation may instead hinge on how the conflict is managed by the parents. Specifically, utilizing data from the ECLS-B dataset, the study first investigated the mediating role of Wave 2 (W2) relationship quality in the link between Wave 1 (W1) interparental conflict frequency and Wave 3 (W3) parental involvement for both parents. It further examined the potential moderating effect of parents’ W2 constructive conflict resolution frequency on the relationship between W1 conflict frequency and W3 parental involvement. Building on the notion of the buffering effect of constructive conflict resolution, the second study expanded on previous findings by exploring the dyadic impact of interparental conflict and parenting practices, assessing conflict resolution at the family level. Using data from the PSID dataset, it assessed both the actor and partner effects between each parent’s report of the frequency of interparental conflict at W1 and both parents’ parenting warmth and involvement at W2. Additionally, the study considered each parent’s perception of their family’s constructive conflict resolution frequency at W1 as a potential moderator in the relationship between interparental conflict and parenting behaviors (i.e., warmth and involvement). Lastly, guided by the dynamic systems theory, which views development as a continuous and dynamic process, the third study used data from both the ECLS-B and PSID datasets. This study focused on the changes in the frequency of interparental conflict across three waves and its impact on both parents’ parental involvement at W3. The initial results from the first study indicated that constructive conflict resolution significantly moderated the relationship between the frequency of interparental conflict and couple relationship quality. Specifically, the negative link between interparental conflict and relationship quality was lessened when higher frequency of constructive conflict resolution was reported by parents. Moreover, couple relationship quality was a significant moderated mediator in the relationship between the frequency of interparental conflict and both parents’ parental involvement. However, while a significant mediation effect was found, there was a lack of direct effect, which suggests an indirect only mediation. A higher frequency of interparental conflict was associated with lower couple relationship quality, which in turn, was linked to lower parental involvement for both parents. However, this adverse connection was mitigated by higher levels of constructive conflict resolution. In the second study, the findings suggested that a higher frequency of interparental conflict reported by mothers was associated with lower levels of mothers' parental involvement and warmth. This relationship was moderated by the fathers' reports of family constructive conflict resolution frequency. Additionally, mothers’ report of the frequency of interparental conflict was negatively linked to fathers’ parenting warmth, and such negative association was buffered when mothers reported higher levels of family constructive conflict resolution. However, given that only three out of 16 tested moderations were found to be significant, it is possible that these observed effects were due to random variation rather than a systematic relationship. Thus, results should be interpreted with caution. Finally, the third study suggested a potentially similar pattern regarding the changes over time in parents' reports of the frequency of interparental conflict across two national datasets. In both datasets, initial results found mothers’ report of the frequency of interparental conflict increased over time, while fathers’ report of the frequency of interparental conflict decreased over time. However, no significant relationship was found between changes in conflict frequency and parental involvement for either parent. Collectively, these initial results indicated that while interparental conflict might have a negative impact on subsequent parenting behaviors, the spillover process is not uniform across all contexts. Findings underscored the mitigating role of constructive conflict resolution in the link between the frequency of interparental conflict and parenting practices. Additionally, results highlighted differing perceptions and changes over time in each parent's report of interparental conflict, suggesting potential differences in mothers and fathers in this dynamic. Findings from this dissertation also offer insights for potential prevention and intervention programs designed to support parents experiencing conflict. Lastly, it is important to note that this research has several limitations, such as the use of simple imputation in handling missing data in study 1 and 3, which will be further discussed in each study.

Graduation Semester

2024-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2024 Qiujie Gong

Owning Collections