Explaining Heterogeneity of Daily Conflict Spillover in the Family: The Role of Dyadic Marital Conflict Patterns

Abstract

In this multi-informant, longitudinal, and daily-diary study, we investigated whether dyadic patterns of marital conflict resolution could explain the heterogeneity in day-to-day cross-lagged associations between marital conflict intensity and mother-adolescent conflict intensity. The sample consisted of 419 adolescents (44.6% girls, Mage = 13.02, SD = 0.44, at T1; Mage = 17.02, SD = 0.44, at T5), their mothers (N = 419, Mage = 44.48, SD = 4.17, at T1), and their fathers (N = 419, Mage = 46.76, SD = 4.99, at T1). Mothers and fathers reported on their constructive and destructive marital conflict resolution strategies annually across five years. Mother-father daily conflict intensity (mother-reported), and mother-adolescent daily conflict intensity (mother- and adolescent-reported) were assessed for 75 days across five years. Latent Class Growth Analysis revealed four types of families based on dyadic marital conflict resolution: Couple Constructive (n = 132), Mother Constructive-Father Submissive (n = 91), Father Constructive-Mother Average (n = 141), and Couple Destructive (n = 53). Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the daily levels and daily dynamics of conflict. Most families were characterized by a compartmentalization pattern, where the marital dyad is “insulated” from the mother-adolescent dyad. Yet, spillover and compensatory patterns characterized sizeable proportions of the families. Group differences were found on the levels of daily conflict: mother-father and mother-adolescent daily conflict intensity were the lowest in families where both partners employed primarily constructive marital conflict resolution. However, the dynamic daily associations between mother-father and mother-adolescent conflict (spillover, compensatory, or compartmentalization patterns) did not differ between groups.