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Trivariate Modeling of Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Emotional Security: An Examination of Mother–Father–Child Dynamics

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Abstract

Recognizing the significance of interacting family subsystems, the present study addresses how interparental conflict is linked to adolescent emotional security as a function of parental gender. A total of 272 families with a child at 12.60 years of age (133 boys, 139 girls) were invited to participate each year for three consecutive years. A multi-informant method was used, along with trivariate models to test the associations among mothers, fathers, and their adolescent children’s behaviors. The findings from separate models of destructive and constructive interparental conflict revealed intricate linkages among family members. In the model of destructive interparental conflict, mothers and fathers predicted each other’s conflict behaviors over time. Moreover, adolescents’ exposure to negativity expressed by either parent dampened their emotional security. Consistent with child effects models, adolescent emotional insecurity predicted fathers’ destructive conflict behaviors. As for the model of constructive interparental conflict, fathers predicted mothers’ conflict behaviors over time. Adolescents’ exposure to fathers’ constructive conflict behaviors also enhanced their sense of emotional security. Consistent with child effects models, adolescent emotional security predicted mothers’ and fathers’ constructive conflict behaviors. These findings extended the family and the adolescent literature by indicating that family processes are multiidirectional, involving multiple dyads in the study of parents’ and adolescents’ functioning. Contributions of these findings to the understanding of interparental conflict and emotional security in adolescence are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH57318). We thank members of the Family Studies Center for assistance in data collection and data entry.

Authors’ Contributions

R.C. conceived of this study, participated in its coordination, performed statistical analysis, interpreted the findings, and drafted the manuscript; E.M.C. conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, and helped to draft the manuscript; Z.Z. helped to perform statistical analysis and interpreted the findings; P.D. conceived of the study, participated in the study design and coordination, and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, 10 Lo ** Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR

    Rebecca Y. M. Cheung

  2. Centre for Psychosocial Health, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

    Rebecca Y. M. Cheung

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

    E. Mark Cummings & Zhiyong Zhang

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA

    Patrick T. Davies

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  1. Rebecca Y. M. Cheung
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Correspondence to Rebecca Y. M. Cheung.

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Ethical Approval

Ethical approval was granted by the Institutional Review Boards of the University of Rochester and the University of Notre Dame. Study protocol was in accordance with the Institutional Review Boards at each site.

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Cheung, R.Y.M., Cummings, E.M., Zhang, Z. et al. Trivariate Modeling of Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Emotional Security: An Examination of Mother–Father–Child Dynamics. J Youth Adolescence 45, 2336–2352 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0406-x

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