Two studies are reported here. The purpose of the first study was to examine the relative impact of the family climate (defined in terms of marital satisfaction, marital conflict, parental psychological distress, and SES) and the peer climate (defined in terms of peer likeability) on children's adjustment (measured by internalizing and externalizing behaviours) for 89 children from grades 6 to 11. Two path analytic models were assessed. The first assessed a single process family model which hypothesized that family functioning would have a direct effect on children's adjustment, but peer relations would have no significant effect on children's adjustment. The second model hypothesized dual processes, that is, that both family functioning and peer relations would predict children's adjustment. Results indicated strong support for a single process family model when data using fathers as informants about family functioning and children's adjustment were examined. Results from data which used mothers as informants about family variables and children's adjustment provided support for a dual process model, in which both family and peers made significant contributions to child adjustment problems. When either mothers or fathers provided information about the family, and peers provided outcome scores, there was evidence for a single process peer model. In the second study, a mediational model was assessed. It was hypothesized that overt marital hostility would mediate the relationship between marital satisfaction and children's adjustment for 277 children from grades 6 to 11. Results indicated that marital hostility mediated the relationship between marital satisfaction and children's adjustment when parents provided the information regarding marital functioning and children's adjustment. However, when peer information about aggression and withdrawal was used as outcome measures, the relationship between marital satisfaction and children's adjustment was no longer significant. Some gender differences were also noted, indicating that marital hostility mediated the relationship between marital satisfaction and internalizing and externalizing behaviours differently for boys and girls. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/9403 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Chappell, Dianne E. |
| Contributors | Ledingham, Jane, |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 149 p. |
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