10.1177/0192513X05286020Journal of Family IssuesGerard et al. / Marital Conflict Marital Conflict, Parent-Child Relations, and Youth Maladjustment A Longitudinal Investigation of Spillover Effects

Contemporaneous and longitudinal associations among marital conflict, parent-child 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 dis-cipline and parent-youth conflict. The concurrent association between mari-tal 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