Marital conflict: Impact on the psychological development of children and adolecents

Abstract

The investigations about family relations indicate an association between marital conflict and the presence of adversity in the family context with consequences on the psychological development of children and adolescents. The purpose of this article is to review some of the theoretical contributions on the subject, including some results of researches on the impact of marital conflict on the psychological development of children and adolescents. Also, the contributions of the cognitive-contextual model and the emotional-security model for the comprehension of family relations and marital conflict are discussed. Finally, theoretical and practical consequences for research in the psychological field are discussed. © 2007 PRC.