The Role of Emotion in Children's Understanding and Emotional Reactions to Marital Conflict.

A process model for the impact of children's exposure to marital conflict on their behavioral adjustment is described, and tested with a sample of 28 couples and their 6-year-old children. Parents were videotaped working toward a resolution of some conflicts; they also completed questionnaires assessing their children's adjustment. Portions of the tapes were shown to the children, who were questioned about the content of the conflicts, and their parents' and their own emotional reactions. Predictions derived from the model were supported. Children's perceptions of the conflict are congruent with those of an independent observer, and indicate that children distinguish the behavior of fathers from that of mothers during marital conflict. Children also report negative emotional reactions to mothers when fathers exhibit negative behavior. Maternal conflict behavior and children's negative emotional reactions to fathers independently predict children's behavioral adjustment.