Additional assignment for extra credit An essay on Fathers Due November 4 Worth up to 2 points to add to your total grade Will be opened on ecampus this week for you to cut and paste into journal section of ecampus access via tools Results of meta analysis of 95 studies comparing children of divorced and intact families More behavioral problems aggressiveness impulsiveness antisocial behavior conduct problems more relationship difficulties poorer psychological adjustment lower academic achievement Short term effects following divorce 1 2 years post divorce Sadness feelings of loss anxiety about who will take care of them when they will be with their other parent anger behavior problems problems with concentration and academic functioning Long term effects comparing young adults from intact and divorced Lower psychological families of origin well being lower socioeconomic achievement poorer marital quality in own relationship and higher chance of divorce more likey to have poorer relationship with parents Post divorce conflict Being asked to carry messages to the other parent being asked intrusive questions about other parent put in position to hide information from other parent feeling need to hide loving feelings for other parent or wanting to be with other parent Fathers relationships with children Divorced fathers from high conflict marriages visit children less less regularly and for shorter visits High levels of interparental marital conflict related to child depression anxiety anger aggression acting out conduct problems antisocial behavior somatic symptoms impaired concentration poorer academic functioning Aspects of interparental marital conflict related to negative outcome for child frequent conflict intense conflict child involvement in conflict poor resolution of conflict Interparental marital conflict and child outcome direct effects Direct exposure Physiological response increased heart rate blood pressure crying running away etc Through modeling aggressive Interparental marital conflict and child outcome indirect effects Emotional quality of parentchild relationship discipline practices parent child aggression Exposure to conflict What aspects of conflict impact children the most Children coping with parental marital Children s effort to cope with this conflict uncontrollable family stressor vary and can place them at increased risk for social emotional and behavioral problems continued Some coping attempts by children may get them involved in parental marital disputes The more intense child related aggressive and or unresolved the parental marital conflicts are the more likely children are to attempt to intervene spillover If the parenting marital bond is characterized by intense conflict and distress there may be spillover to the parent child relationship and parenting practices e g rejection hostility Spill over into parent child interaction may be stronger if the child is involved in the conflict Results from two studies on marital conflict studied from the child s perspective responses about conflict I see my parents arguing 78 I often see my parents arguing 36 When my parents have an argument they yell at each other 46 My parents have pushed or shoved each other during an argument 9 Even after my parents stop arguing they stay mad at each other 24 responses about worry and threat I get scared when my parents argue 46 When my parents argue I worry that they might get divorced 37 When my parents argue I m afraid that they will yell at me too 29 response self blame It is usually my fault when my parents argue 12 My parents arguments are usually about me 14 Even if they don t say it I know I m to blame when my parents argue 13 Child involvement and coping When my parents argue I try to do something to stop them 69 When my parents argue there s nothing I can do to stop them 60 Main conclusion from two studies and child symptoms The majority of children report exposure to parental conflict parental conflict is not per se related to depressive symptoms in children rather When conflict is present and children blame themselves they are more likely to report being depressed Further when children report higher rates of experiencing parental rejection then the relationship between conflict self blame and depression is even stronger