Influence of age on neurohormonal activation and prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure

There is a lack of psychoeducational programs for married couples who, although subjectively concerned about their marriages, do not seek marital therapy. In this study, the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral program delivered on a weekend by 2 trainers for groups of 4 couples was investigated. Couples (n = 67) were recruited by newspaper announcements, then randomly assigned to the intervention program or a waiting-list control group. The program consisted of communication and problem-solving training, couples' discussions to clarify their relationship expectations, and exercises to enhance their sensual or sexual relationship. At postassessment, intervention couples emitted more positive verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors during a conflict discussion task than did control couples, who reported significantly more relationship problem areas and displayed more negative communication behaviors. At the 1-year follow-up, intervention couples reported fewer problem areas in comparison with preassessment.     

Rate and predictors of divorce among parents of youths with ADHD.

Numerous studies have asserted the prevalence of marital conflict among families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but evidence is surprisingly less convincing regarding whether parents of youths with ADHD are more at risk for divorce than are parents of children without ADHD. Using survival analyses, the authors compared the rate of marital dissolution between parents of adolescents and young adults with and without ADHD. Results indicated that parents of youths diagnosed with ADHD in childhood (n = 282) were more likely to divorce and had a shorter latency to divorce compared with parents of children without ADHD (n = 206). Among a subset of those families of youths with ADHD, prospective analyses indicated that maternal and paternal education level; paternal antisocial behavior; and child age, race/ethnicity, and oppositional-defiant/conduct problems each uniquely predicted the timing of divorce between parents of youths with ADHD. These data underscore how parent and child variables likely interact to exacerbate marital discord and, ultimately, dissolution among families of children diagnosed with ADHD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processes linking adolescent well-being, marital love, and coparenting.

This study examined coparenting in a sample of 177 two-parent families with firstborn adolescents by using annual home interview data from mothers, fathers, and adolescents. With a path-analytic approach and with earlier problem behaviors controlled for, coparenting conflict predicted relative increases in adolescent risky behavior over 2 years. In addition, evidence for 2 types of mediation was found. Marital love mediated the link between adolescents' early risky behavior and coparenting 1 year later, and coparenting conflict mediated the link between marital love and adolescents' risky behavior 1 year later. Linkages did not emerge for coparenting cooperation or triangulation. Interventions that are focused on the marital and coparental relationships in families with adolescents may modify trajectories of adolescent risky behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The efficacy of a compact psychoeducational group training program for married couples.

There is a lack of psychoeducational programs for married couples who, although subjectively concerned about their marriages, do not seek marital therapy. In this study, the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral program delivered on a weekend by 2 trainers for groups of 4 couples was investigated. Couples (n?=?67) were recruited by newspaper announcements, then randomly assigned to the intervention program or a waiting-list control group. The program consisted of communication and problem-solving training, couples' discussions to clarify their relationship expectations, and exercises to enhance their sensual or sexual relationship. At postassessment, intervention couples emitted more positive verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors during a conflict discussion task than did control couples, who reported significantly more relationship problem areas and displayed more negative communication behaviors. At the 1-year follow-up, intervention couples reported fewer problem areas in comparison with preassessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Overt and relational aggression in Russian nursery-school-age children: parenting style and marital linkages

Maternal and paternal parenting styles and marital interactions linked to childhood aggressive behavior as described in Western psychological literature were measured in an ethnic Russian sample of 207 families of nursery-school-age children. Results corroborated and extended findings from Western samples. Maternal and paternal coercion, lack of responsiveness, and psychological control (for mothers only) were significantly correlated with children's overt aggression with peers. Less responsiveness (for mothers and fathers) and maternal coercion positively correlated with relational aggression. Some of these associations differed for boys versus girls. Marital conflict was also linked to more overt and relational aggression for boys. When entered into the same statistical model, more marital conflict (for boys only), more maternal coercion, and less paternal responsiveness were found to be the most important contributors to overt and relational aggression in younger Russian children.     

Marital conflict typology and children's appraisals: The moderating role of family cohesion.

Intense and frequent marital conflict is associated with greater appraisals of threat and self-blame in children, but little else is known about contextual factors that might affect appraisals. Systemic family theories propose that to understand child adaptation, it is necessary to understand the interconnected nature of family subsystem relationships. In a sample of 257 families with 8- to 12-year-old children, this study examined whether a four-level typology of marital conflict management was related to children's perceptions of marital conflict and their appraisals of perceived threat and self-blame. In addition, family cohesion was tested as a moderator of the relationship between marital conflict style and children's appraisals. Observational coding was used to group couples into Harmonious, Disengaged, Conflictual-Expressive, and Conflictual-Hostile groups. Children's report of the intensity, frequency, and degree of resolution of interparental discord corresponded well with observers' ratings. The relationship between marital conflict style and appraisals of threat and self-blame was moderated by family cohesiveness. At high levels of family cohesiveness, no group differences were found for either perceived threat or self-blame, whereas when family cohesiveness was low, threat was higher for the Harmonious and Conflictual-Hostile groups, as compared to the Conflictual-Expressive group, and self-blame was higher for both conflict groups (expressive and hostile), as compared to the Disengaged group. The results provide further evidence of interconnected nature of family subsystem relationships and the importance of distinguishing among different approaches to marital conflict management for understanding the complex and perhaps subtle but meaningful effects different family system factors have on child adaptation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in children's appraisals of marital discord from childhood through adolescence.

The study examined how children's appraisals of marital conflict (threat and self-blame) changed across development, whether changes in exposure to marital conflict were associated with corresponding changes in appraisals, and whether the appraisal process was different for boys and girls. Data were collected on 112 families (224 children) at 4 time points. At each wave, children (mean ages ranged from 8 to 19) provided information on their appraisals of marital conflict, and parents provided information on children's exposure to marital conflict. Results indicated that appraisals of threat declined rapidly from childhood to adolescence and then declined less rapidly across adolescence; appraisals of self-blame showed little change over time. Second, changes in exposure to marital discord covaried with changes in threat over time, but not with changes in self-blame. Finally, boys experienced more self-blame than girls on average, and gender moderated the association between exposure to marital discord and threat. Results suggest that development, exposure to marital conflict, and gender are important in determining why some children appraise their parents' disputes negatively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital conflict and children's sleep: Reciprocal relations and socioeconomic effects.

We examined reciprocal relations between parental marital conflict and children's sleep disruptions over two years. The roles of ethnicity (African American and European American) and socioeconomic status were tested as moderators of the examined relations. A community sample of 176 school-age children (M age = 8.68 at T1) and their parents participated at T1 and T2 with a 2-year interval between waves. Mothers, fathers, and children reported on parental marital conflict, and children's sleep was measured via actigraphy and self-reports. Latent variable modeling indicated that T1 marital conflict predicted increases in children's sleep disruptions longitudinally; results were more pronounced for African American children and those from lower SES homes. Further, children's sleep disruptions at T1 predicted increases in marital conflict over time. Results demonstrate the importance of reciprocal relations between a prevalent familial stressor and a fundamental facet of children's health, especially when considering the sociocultural milieu. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital conflict and preadolescent behavioral competence: Maternal knowledge as a longitudinal mediator.

The present study considered whether maternal knowledge mediated the relation between overt marital conflict and preadolescent behavioral competence. Four years of self-report data were collected from 133 mothers and their preadolescents, beginning when the preadolescents were in 4th grade. Marital conflict, maternal knowledge, and preadolescent behavioral competence were assessed at all 4 time points in order to apply a stringent methodology for assessing longitudinal mediating patterns. The results indicated that maternal knowledge mediated the relation between marital conflict and preadolescent behavioral competence. Thus, the present study identified one possible process through which marital conflict may affect preadolescent behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital behavior, parenting behavior, and multiple reports of preschoolers' behavior problems: Mediation or moderation?

Associations among positive and conflictual marital behavior and multiple reports of child behavior problems were examined in a community sample of 78 families with 3-year-old children. Maternal and paternal parenting behaviors were tested as potential mediators and moderators. Parents reported on child behavior problems and were observed during parent-child interaction and couple discussion in the presence of the child. Observers and preschool teachers also reported on child behavior problems. Less positive marital engagement and greater conflict were associated with observers' reports, but not with parents' or teachers' reports, of more behavior problems. Associations between marital behavior and child behavior problems were not explained by maternal or paternal behavior; stronger support was found for moderating effects of parenting. Also, positive marital engagement was a slightly better predictor of child behavior problems than was marital conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital conflict and children's adjustment: A cognitive-contextual framework.

Marital problems have been related to numerous indexes of maladjustment in children. Although several parameters of this association have been identified, the process by which exposure to interparental conflict gives rise to adjustment problems in children is largely unexplored. Research on the link between marital conflict and child maladjustment therefore is critically evaluated, and a framework is presented that organizes existing studies and suggests directions for future research on processes that may account for the association. According to the framework, the impact of marital conflict is mediated by children's understanding of the conflict, which is shaped by contextual, cognitive, and developmental factors. The implications of the framework for children's adjustment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of parent counseling on the family system.

To study the impact of a parent counseling program, all members of 11 experimental families and 9 lecture-control families were evaluated before and after 7 wkly counseling sessions and at a 6–8 mo follow-up. Parents in both conditions reflected a significant increase in perceived marital adjustment (Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale) at posttesting and at follow-up. The children of parents in both groups demonstrated significant increases in self-esteem (Self-Esteem Inventory) after treatment; improvement was maintained at follow-up. Findings suggest that for educated, middle-income families, the critical components in parent counseling may be the mere presentation of information and didactic instruction. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital discord and treatment outcome in behavioral treatment of child conduct disorders.

Research assessing the role of marital variables in the treatment of childhood conduct disorders is scarce. The aim of this study was (a) to assess the role of marital discord in the overall outcome of a program training parents in behavioral techniques (behavioral parent training) and (b) to assess the effects of an adjunctive treatment (partner support training [PST]) on outcome. The latter treatment focused on marital conflict, communication, and problem solving. Twenty-four families with a child diagnosed as oppositional or conduct disordered were assigned to either a marital-discord group (n?=?12) or a no-marital-discord group (n?=?12). Families within each group were then randomly assigned to either child management training (CMT) alone or CMT with PST. Measures of child deviance, parenting behavior, and marital satisfaction were collected at pre- and posttraining and at a 6-month follow-up. Results indicated a significant interaction between marital discord and treatment type on most measures at follow-up but not at posttraining. Although PST added little to the maintenance of change for the nondiscordant group, it produced significant gains over those who received CMT only for the discordant group. Further results highlighting the interaction of marital and treatment variables are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital adjustment and the efficacy of behavior therapy with children.

Parents of 62 children (from 49 intact and 13 one-parent families) referred to a behaviorally oriented child psychological clinic provided measures of marital adjustment (Short Marital Adjustment Test) and of their children's behavior (Behavior Problem Checklist) before and after treatment. Parents of 31 nonreferred children of the same age and socioeconomic status as the clinic sample provided the same self-report measures. Marital adjustment scores of clinic parents were significantly lower than those of the control sample, although there was considerable overlap between the distribution of scores. Further, there was a consistent negative correlation between marital adjustment and severity of children's behavior problems. However, pretreatment level of marital discord was not related to degree of positive behavior change observed at therapy termination or at a 5-mo follow-up. Difficulty in obtaining follow-up data from parents was correlated with a small degree of improvement in child behavior. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conflict and collaboration in middle-aged and older couples: II. Cardiovascular reactivity during marital interaction.

Marital strain confers risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), perhaps though cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to stressful marital interactions. CVR to marital stressors may differ between middle-age and older adults, and types of marital interactions that evoke CVR may also differ across these age groups, as relationship contexts and stressors differ with age. The authors examined cardiovascular responses to a marital conflict discussion and collaborative problem solving in 300 middle-aged and older married couples. Marital conflict evoked greater increases in blood pressure, cardiac output, and cardiac sympathetic activation than did collaboration. Older couples displayed smaller heart rate responses to conflict than did middle-aged couples but larger blood pressure responses to collaboration—especially in older men. These effects were maintained during a posttask recovery period. Women did not display greater CVR than men on any measure or in either interaction context, though they did display greater parasympathetic withdrawal. CVR to marital conflict could contribute to the association of marital strain with CVD for middle-aged and older men and women, but other age-related marital contexts (e.g., collaboration among older couples) may also contribute to this mechanism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linking marital conflict and children’s adjustment: The role of young children’s perceptions.

Young children’s (n = 96) perceptions and appraisals of their parents’ marital conflict were evaluated at age 5 and again at age 6. Concurrent reports of marital conflict by each parent and teachers’ reports of children’s classroom adjustment served as criteria against which to evaluate the validity of young children’s perceptions. Children’s perceptions of their parents’ marital relationship were significantly correlated with spouses’ reports at ages 5 and 6, as well as correlated with teacher reports of internalizing and externalizing problems. Consistent with the cognitive–contextual theory, children’s tendency to blame themselves for their parents’ conflict partially mediated the link between marital conflict and children’s internalizing symptoms. In contrast, children’s reports that they become involved in their parents’ conflict partially mediated the effect of marital conflict on externalizing problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns of marital conflict predict children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

Reports the results of a longitudinal study on how marital interaction affects children. Observational assessment of marital interaction during conflict resolution obtained when children were 5 yrs old predicted teachers' ratings of internalizing and externalizing behaviors when the children were 8 yrs old. Two distinct and uncorrelated marital interaction patterns were related to specific forms of child outcomes. The Mutually Hostile pattern, which correlated with later marital dissolution, also predicted externalizing behavior patterns in children 3 yrs later. The Husband Angry and Withdrawn pattern predicted child internalizing behaviors. Marital satisfaction and child temperament did not relate to child outcomes, nor did they interact with marital patterns to produce deficits in child adjustment. Findings suggest that the specific behaviors couples use when resolving marital disputes may contribute differentially to the presence of externalizing and internalizing behavior patterns in children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of marital conflict and children's social problem-solving skills.

Marital conflict has been shown to be negatively associated with child functioning. This study examined the relationships of negative and positive aspects of marital conflict and frequency of conflict with children's social problem-solving skills, as measured by effectiveness of alternative solutions. Mothers, fathers, and children reported on marital conflict. Mothers' higher negative conflict characteristics, in the context of greater frequency of conflict, and less frequent positive conflict characteristics, in the context of lower frequency of conflict, were significantly associated with their children's less effective social problem-solving solutions. For fathers, none of the negative but one of the positive conflict characteristics was significantly associated with their children's more effective social problem-solving solutions, regardless of the frequency of marital conflict. Children's perceptions of their parents' conflict were not significant predictors of their social problem-solving skills. Findings are interpreted in the framework of children's modeling aggressive conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social Support and Patient Adherence to Medical Treatment: A Meta-Analysis.

In a review of the literature from 1948 to 2001, 122 studies were found that correlated structural or functional social support with patient adherence to medical regimens. Meta-analyses establish significant average r-effect sizes between adherence and practical, emotional, and unidimensional social support; family cohesiveness and conflict; marital status; and living arrangement of adults. Substantive and methodological variables moderate these effects. Practical support bears the highest correlation with adherence. Adherence is 1.74 times higher in patients from cohesive families and 1.53 times lower in patients from families in conflict. Marital status and living with another person (for adults) increase adherence modestly. A research agenda is recommended to further examine mediators of the relationship between social support and health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interrelations and moderators of longitudinal links between marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms among couples in established relationships.

Extending research based on newlywed couples, this study investigated longitudinal associations between marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms in a community sample of 296 couples in established relationships (M = 13.25 years, SD = 5.98) with children (M age = 11.05 years, SD = 2.31). Support was found for reciprocal relations between marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms in couples with established relationships. Further extending previous work, the study showed that relationship length and hostile marital conflict were significant moderators of these linkages. Husbands in longer term relationships were more vulnerable to depressive symptoms in the context of marital problems compared with husbands in shorter term relationships. At higher levels of marital conflict, the negative relationship between marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms was strengthened. Reflecting an unexpected finding, increased conflict buffered spouses from marital dissatisfaction in the context of depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)