Despite widespread acceptance of the belief that exposure to interparental conflict is a serious stressor for children, much remains unknown about exactly why and how this stressor translates into different outcomes across children. The assumption that marital conflict is a stressor for children stems from several explanatory frameworks – family systems theory, social learning theory, the transmission of affect, consistencies in cognitive style, genetic transmission theories, and trauma theory. These frameworks have provided both the impetus and foundation for empirical investigations of the effects of marital conflict on children. In this chapter, we review these frameworks and illustrate how a developmental psychopathology perspective can inform research in this area. Specifically, we analyze the status of marital conflict as a risk factor, consider how research on vulnerability and protective factors can delineate processes that intensify or interrupt the trajectory from marital conflict to negative child outcomes, and recommend greater attention to the resilience of many children living in highly conflictual homes. This perspective underscores the complexity of the relationship between marital conflict and child outcomes and suggests why conflict does not affect children in predictable or consistent ways.

Marital Conflict as a Risk: Empirical Evidence

Since instances and even extended periods of marital discord are quite common in marriage, children living in two-parent households generally have been exposed to some form of marital conflict. Statistics on divorce and marital violence suggest that a substantial number of children have been exposed to serious marital conflict.