Maternal depressive symptoms and physical intimate partner violence and children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors in Guyanese families: Mediating role of constructive conflict behavior.
- 1 January 2023
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Psychological Association (APA) in American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
- Vol. 93 (3), 236-244
- https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000671
Abstract
Using models of risk and resilience as a guide, this study examined the mediating role of constructive conflict behaviors on the associations between maternal depressive symptoms, intimate partner violence (IPV), and child behavior problems. The nature of the mediation pathways was also examined for two groups of families, one experiencing high and another experiencing low levels of partner social support. Participants included 196 mothers and their preschool-aged children from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in Guyana. Constructive conflict behaviors partially mediated the link between maternal depressive symptoms and children's externalizing behaviors. Maternal depressive symptoms and physical intimate partner violence were directly related to children's internalizing behaviors. Constructive conflict behaviors were not a mediator of the association between risk factors and children's behavioral outcomes for families experiencing high or low levels of partner social support. In the context of families experiencing high partner social support, constructive conflict behaviors appeared to be more effective in reducing children's externalizing problem behaviors.Keywords
Funding Information
- Syracuse University
This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- The sleeper effect of intimate partner violence exposure: long‐term consequences on young children's aggressive behaviorJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2013
- Prevalence of intimate partner violence in patients presenting with traumatic injuries to a Guyanese emergency departmentInternational Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2012
- The overlap of witnessing partner violence with child maltreatment and other victimizations in a nationally representative survey of youthChild Abuse & Neglect, 2010
- Developmental cascadesDevelopment and Psychopathology, 2010
- Depression and the nature of Trinidadian family practice: a cross-sectional studyBMC Family Practice, 2007
- Trauma symptoms among infants exposed to intimate partner violenceChild Abuse & Neglect, 2006
- Towards a family process model of maternal and paternal depressive symptoms: exploring multiple relations with child and family functioningJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2005
- Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development.American Psychologist, 2001
- Talking facilitates cognitive-emotional processes of adaptation to an acute stressor.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2000
- Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternativesStructural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 1999