In three essays, this dissertation examined the associations between child characteristics, interparental discord and various aspects of child development and physiological functioning. In the first essay, using longitudinal, nationally representative data on infants and their families from the early childhood longitudinal study (ECLS-B), results revealed small, but significant associations between child-related conflict in infancy and child cognitive ability in toddlerhood. Associations between child-related conflict in infancy and later socioemotional functioning were moderated by child gender, suggesting decreased socioemotional functioning for girls living in higher-conflict homes. In the second essay, using the same data, I examined child effects on later high-conflict environments, and found that the association between negative emotionality during infancy and child-related conflict in toddlerhood was moderated by parental differences in child development knowledge in infancy. In both studies, significant associations were found while controlling for a wide range of potentially confounding variables, including prior child functioning and conflict. To explore whether associations between marital discord and child development are potentially mediated by children's physiological stress system activity, essay three investigated if aspects of marital discord were associated with cortisol levels of kindergarten-aged children and adolescents in a normal, low-risk population. Higher marital discord was associated with higher average child cortisol levels for kindergartners and adolescents. Results also showed that kindergarten-aged children living in higher conflict homes had higher bedtime cortisol levels and flatter slopes of the curve of cortisol production across the day.

Last modified

• 08/30/2018

Creator

• Patricia Pendry

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/N2JB0X

Subject

• Social Policy to Education and Social Policy - Human Development and Social Policy

Keyword

• negative emotionality
• interparental discord
• child-related conflict
• HPA axis
• cortisol
• child development

Date created

• 2007-12-11

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright