ERIC Number: EJ932046
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Aug
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1062-1024
EISSN: N/A
The Effects of Marital Conflict on Korean Children's Appraisal of Conflict and Psychological Adjustment
Oh, Kyung Ja; Lee, Soojin; Park, Soo Hyun
Journal of Child and Family Studies, v20 n4 p444-451 Aug 2011
This study examined the effects of marital conflict on Korean children's psychological adjustment and appraisal of hypothetical marital conflict situations. Children between the ages of 10 and 12 were divided into "high-conflict" (n = 58) and "low-conflict" (n = 58) groups based on their self-reported degree of perceived interparental conflict in the home environment. Hypothetical marital conflict situations were provided in cartoon format, and were differentiated based conflict intensity (verbal versus physical aggression) and content (child-related conflict versus non-child-related conflict). In general, children reported greater negative affect and perceived threat to hypothetical conflict situations involving physical aggression compared to situations involving verbal conflict. In child-related conflict situations, children reported more fear of being drawn in and endorsed coping strategies that involved direct intervention. "High-conflict group" children evidenced stronger reactivity in responding to marital conflict situations in general and endorsed indirect intervention strategies--a finding previously not found in similar studies conducted with European-American children--indicating the possibility of cross-cultural difference in coping preferences in interparental conflict situations. Furthermore, "high-conflict group" children manifested more indices of maladjustment as indicated by externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, in addition to more self-reported depressive symptoms. Results highlight the effects of marital conflict on children's psychological adjustment and indicate the possibility of cross-cultural differences in preferred coping mechanism in interparental conflict situations for Korean children.
Descriptors: Behavior Problems, Intervention, Aggression, Conflict, Cartoons, Coping, Cultural Differences, Children, Family Environment, Depression (Psychology), Marital Satisfaction, Foreign Countries, Fear, Verbal Communication, Emotional Adjustment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Korea
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A