Within- and Between-Family Associations of Marital Functioning and Child Well-being

This study clarifies within-family and between-family links between marital functioning and child well-being. Expanding on existing prospective research, this study tests whether changes in parents' marital functioning are associated with corresponding changes in their children's well-bein...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marriage and family 2017-04, Vol.79 (2), p.451-461
Main Authors: Knopp, Kayla, Rhoades, Galena K., Allen, Elizabeth S., Parsons, Aleja, Ritchie, Lane L., Markman, Howard J., Stanley, Scott M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Armed forces
Associations
behavioral health
Child welfare
Child Well-being
Children
Clinical trials
Communication
Couples
Data Collection
Externalizing problems
Families & family life
Family (Sociological Unit)
family processes
Group Membership
Inferences
Internalization
Internalizing disorders
Interpersonal communication
Intervention
marital quality
Marital satisfaction
Marriage
methodologies
Parent-child relations
Parents
Parents & parenting
Psychological Needs
Randomized Controlled Trials
Self Efficacy
Social research
Spouses
Verbal communication
Well being
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Summary:This study clarifies within-family and between-family links between marital functioning and child well-being. Expanding on existing prospective research, this study tests whether changes in parents' marital functioning are associated with corresponding changes in their children's well-being, independent from associations that exist when comparing different families. Participants (N = 1,033) were members of married, opposite-sex couples with children who participated in five waves of a larger study of marriage in the U.S. Army. Spouses' constructive communication, verbal conflict, and marital satisfaction each showed between-family associations with parent-reported child internalizing and externalizing problems. In contrast, within-family associations were significant only for parents' communication behaviors. That is, parents who reported lower levels of marital satisfaction also reported lower child well-being, whereas change in parents' communication was associated with change in child well-being over time. Isolating within-family effects is important for understanding marital and child functioning and for identifying potential targets for effective intervention.
ISSN:0022-2445
1741-3737
DOI:10.1111/jomf.12373