| This study followed 759 adolescents (i.e., 375 boys and 385 girls) in middle school (i.e., 7th and 8th grades) at three waves over a period of a year. Adolescents' perceptions of typical inter-parental conflict and parental style (i.e., restrictive vs. nurturant and autonomy-promoting) were hypothesized to predict changes in symptoms of aggression and depression. A path model was tested in which perceptions of typical inter-parental conflict were posited to have proximal (i.e., direct) effects on later depression and aggression independent of the effects of parental style. From wave one to wave two, adolescents' perception of inter-parental conflict predicted an increase in depressive symptoms for girls and aggressive behaviors for boys. From wave two to wave three, perception of conflict predicted an increase in both depression and aggression for both boys and girls. Furthermore, no reciprocal relationships were found in which aggression or depression predicted later perceptions of conflict. The proximal effects of parental style were also examined. However, perceptions of parental style evinced a reciprocal relationship with adolescents' depression and no effect was found on the relationship between parental style and aggression. These results support the hypothesis that adolescents' perceptions of typical inter-parental conflict directly predict increases in their depressive symptoms and aggressive behaviors over a period of a year, not mediated by parental style or quality. It was found that even normative marital discord, when perceived or witnessed by adolescents, has significant repercussions on their well-being. |
