Cheryl Buehler

Interparental conflict and youth problem behaviors: A meta-analysis

We examined the proposition that interparental conflict is associated with internalizing and externalizing problems in youth ages 5 to 18. This examination was done by conducting a meta-analysis of 348 statistical effects from 68 studies. The average effect size (d-value) was .32. There was considerable variability among effect sizes and this variability was associated with the average time since separation for separated/divorced parents, the socioeconomic status composition of the sample, and average parental education in the sample. The variability among effect sizes also was associated with the source of the informant used to assess interparental conflict and youth problem behaviors. Surprisingly, many of the other study characteristics we coded were not associated with variability in the effect sizes.

Marital Conflict, Parent-Child Relations, and Youth Maladjustment: A Longitudinal Investigation of Spillover Effects

Contemporaneous and longitudinal associations among marital conflict, parentchild relationship quality, and youth maladjustment were examined using data from the National Survey of Families and Households.Analyses were based on 551 married families with a child age 5 to 11 years at Wave 1. The concurrent association between marital conflict and youth externalizing problems at both waves was mediated completely at Wave 1 and partially at Wave 2 by harsh discipline and parent-youth conflict. The concurrent association between marital conflict and internalizing problems at both waves was mediated partially through parent-youth conflict. Longitudinal mediating effects were detected through stable marital conflict over 5 years and through its connection with parent-youth conflict. Findings delineate areas of specificity and stability in marital conflict processes as children transition from middle childhood through adolescence.

Developing a Middle-Range Theory of Father Involvement Postdivorce

The problem addressed in the article is why so many fathers remove themselves from their childrens lives after divorce. The authors develop a theory that offers a partial explanation of this phenomena based on the potential for change in the salience of a mans identity as a father postdivorce. Propositions are developed and hypotheses are derived from symbolic interaction and identity theory. The authors define and interrelate the concepts of identity, saliency, commitment, and significant others to explain father presence or absence postdivorce across time. The theory further isolates a number of variables that are expected to moderate (strengthen or weaken) the relationship between father parenting-role identity and father involvement. Identifying modifiers enables the authors to stipulate why some fathers are more involved with their children following separation by explaining the conditions under which father identity becomes translated into a patterned set of behaviors.

A Comparison of Family Foster Parents Who Quit, Consider Quitting, and Plan to Continue Fostering

We examine why some foster families continue to foster whereas others do not. Reasons for quitting include lack of agency support, poor communication with caseworkers, lack of say in foster childrens future, and difficulties with foster childrens behavior. As compared with continuing foster parents, former foster parents and foster parents planning to quit say that they receive less postlicensure training and are less likely to have a foster-parent mentor. As compared with continuing and former foster parents, current foster parents planning to quit are more likely to say they need day care, transportation, and help with health-care costs.

The long-term correlates of family foster care

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine long-term correlates of experiencing family foster care sometime before the age of 19. Subjects for the study were selected from participants in the 1988 National Survey of Families and Households. Three groups were compared: 101 adults experiencing family foster care, 101 adults selected at random, and 101 adults matched to those experiencing family foster care on age, race, gender, parents educational attainment, and the presence of a stepparent. Within the areas of self-sufficiency, behavioral adjustment, family and social support, and personal well-being, 36 indicators of adult adjustment were examined. When compared with the adults in the randomly selected comparison group, adults experiencing family foster care were less adjusted on 20 of 36 indicators, particularly in the areas of education, economic well-being, marital relations, and community involvement. Adults in the foster care group were similar to the adults in the matched comparison group on almost all indicators of adjustment.

Foster Parents’ Perceptions of Factors that Promote or Inhibit Successful Fostering:

Foster parents’ perceptions of familial and parental factors that promote or inhibit successful fostering were examined using semi-structured interviews. Characteristics that facilitate successful fostering include faith or support from church, a deep concern for children, tolerance, a strong cooperative marriage in married foster families, and a daily life that is characterized as organized and routinized but flexible in terms of responding to children’s needs and external demands. Characteristics that inhibit successful fostering include non-child-centered fostering motivations, competing demands for parents’ time and energy, parents’ difficulties in dealing with strong attachments to children who might have to leave the family, and personal and interpersonal inflexibility. The findings from this study highlight the need for foster parents to be skilled at creating family patterns that are characterized by clear, consistent routines and expectations as well as flexibility and tolerance. This dialectic pattern of family functioning should be a primary focus during training for foster parent applicants.

Youth Perceptions of Interparental Conflict, Ineffective Parenting, and Youth Problem Behaviors in European-American and African-American Families

The purpose of this study was to examine the spillover of youth perceptions of interparental conflict (IPC) into ineffective parenting and youth problem behaviors in a sample of 542 European-American (EA) and 150 African-American (AA) youth. Data were collected from youth aged 10 through 18 yearsusing a school-based survey. The findings indicated that IPC was associatedpositively with youth problem behaviors in both European-American and African-American samples. For EA families, IPC was linked with youth externalizing problem behaviors through lower levels of parental monitoring, maternal acceptance, and higher levels of parent–youth conflict, and with internalizing problem behaviors through higher levels of maternal psychologicalcontrol and parent–youth conflict. Although IPC was associated with higher levels of parent–youth conflict and maternal psychological control and lower levels of parental monitoring in AA families, the spillover model received minimal support because parenting measures were not associated systematically with youth problem behaviors.

Interparental Hostility and Early Adolescent Problem Behavior: Spillover via Maternal Acceptance, Harshness, Inconsistency, and Intrusiveness.

To explore the link between interparental hostility and adolescent problem behaviors, the current study examines four important maternal parenting dimensions as potential mediators: acceptance, harshness, inconsistency, and psychological intrusiveness. With a primary sample of 1,893 sixth-grade students, the measures included adolescent and teacher reports. Structural equation modeling revealed that each parenting construct partially mediated both internalizing and externalizing adolescent problems. Harshness was the strongest mediator for adolescent externalizing. Psychological intrusiveness and low maternal acceptance were the strongest mediators for adolescent internalizing. Inconsistency linked similarly to both internalizing and externalizing. Stronger linkages were found in families with married parents compared to those with divorced parents, but overall the patterns were similar. Youth gender and ethnic differences in the spillover processes were minimal. The findings provide a process model for understanding interparental conflict and adolescent problems.

In the Eyes of the Beholder: Cognitive Appraisals as Mediators of the Association Between Interparental Conflict and Youth Maladjustment

Although the association between interparental conflict and youth maladjustment has been established, processes underlying this relationship are less understood. In this investigation, childrens conflict appraisals were examined as mediating variables. In Study 1, 1,893 6th graders reported their perceptions of conflict and appraisals of threat and self-blame. Youth and teachers reported on externalizing and internalizing problems. In Study 2, 416 married parents from the larger sample reported their conflict and youth maladjustment. Childrens appraisals of coping efficacy also were examined. Perceived threat, self-blame, and coping efficacy were salient mediators of overt conflict and triangulation, particularly for internalizing problems. Findings indicate that childrens beliefs about interparental conflict play an important role in their adjustment to this family stressor.

Mothering versus Fathering versus Parenting: Measurement Equivalence in Parenting Measures

SYNOPSIS Objective. The measurement equivalence of three commonly used parenting constructs (acceptance, psychological intrusiveness, and harshness) was examined across mothers and fathers. Design. A sample of 832 married individuals (416 mothers and 416 fathers) was used to test seven types of equivalence for each measure: configural, metric, scalar, unique variance, factor variance, factor mean, and functional. Results. Acceptance demonstrated configural, factor mean, and functional equivalence but not metric, scalar, unique variance, or factor variance equivalence. Psychological intrusiveness demonstrated equivalence at all levels except unique variance equivalence. Parental harshness demonstrated equivalence at all levels except factor variance equivalence. Conclusion. Investigations of measurement equivalence should be conducted before drawing substantive conclusions regarding mothering and fathering and their effects on childrens development.