Mothers' and fathers' reports of children's reactions to naturalistic marital conflict

Objective: To examine how children, aged 8 to 11 years, react to observing their parents' naturally occurring marital conflict in their own homes and to compare reactions among children raised in homes characterized by different types of marital conflict. Method: For 5% weeks, mothers and fathers of 110 children used daily home diaries to record independently their children's reactions to marital conflict. Logistic regression compared the likelihood of exhibiting specific reactions to conflict among children from marriages characterized by low conflict (LOWCON; n = 37), nonphysical conflict (NOPHYCON; n = 35), and physical conflict (PHYCON; n = 38). Results: Mothers' and fathers' reports indicate that children from PHYCON homes were more likely than children from LOWCON and NOPHYCON homes to leave the room, misbehave or appear angry, and appear sad or frightened. Conclusions: These results support the notion that different histories of exposure to marital conflict may contribute to the way in which children react to their parents' marital conflict.