A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF PARENTING PRACTICES, COUPLE SATISFACTION, AND CHILD BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between couple relationship satisfaction, parenting practices, parent depression, and child problem behaviors. The study partici-pants (n = 148) were part of a larger experimental study that examined the effectiveness of a brief family-centered intervention, the Family Check-Up model. Regression analysis results indicated that our proposed model accounted for 38 % of the variance in child problem behavior at Time 2, with child problem behavior and couple relationship satisfac-tion at child age 2 years each accounting for a significant portion of the variance in child problem behavior at age 3. Couple relationship satisfaction directly predicted child behav-ior problems over time. Clinical and research implications are discussed. The relationship between couple relationship satisfaction and distress, parenting, and child outcomes is well established. Researchers have consistently demonstrated that couple distress negatively affects the partners ’ health, welfare, and quality of life, and is a risk factor for poo