The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between dimensions of interparental conflict, contextual family variables and indicants of adjustment in college-aged offspring. Subjects were 320 (179 females, 141 males) undergraduate students from a southeastern university who met inclusion criteria as determined by an initial screening instrument administered to all students enrolled in the introductory psychology course. Subjects completed measures on demographic information, their perceptions of interparental conflict (i.e., frequency, duration, content and type of conflict-physical versus verbal), family variables, as well as, measures of adjustment. / Canonical correlations and follow-up step-wise multiple regression analyses indicated that frequency of interparental conflict was the most important predictor of depression, externalizing behavior problems, and negative views towards marriage for the females. No significant relationships between interparental conflict and outcome were obtained for the males. / A problematic father-offspring relationship coupled with depression in the opposite sex parent were found to be significantly related to outcome variables for both males and females. To address the final question of the study, family variables and the offspring's maladaptive style of conflict resolution were examined to determine if they improved the ability to predict outcome. Results indicated that family variables (i.e., parental depression and problematic parent-child relationships) and offspring's maladaptive style of conflict resolution contributed to the prediction of outcome in an additive but not interactive fashion. Specifically, frequency of interparental conflict combined with family variables or maladaptive conflict resolution style were more predictive of offspring adjustment than either variable alone. / The findings of this study indicate the importance of including other characteristics and relationships within in the family when investigating the impact of interparental conflict on adjustment in older-aged offspring. Additionally, the study revealed significant gender differences in response to interparental conflict and problematic family relationships underscoring the importance of examining males and females separately. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-12, Section: B, page: 6661. / Major Professor: Janet Kistner. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76559 |
| Contributors | Hanson, Rochelle Fishman., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 177 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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