I Wish My Parents Would Stop Arguing! The Impact of Interparental Conflict on Young Adults

Abstract

Research shows that interparental conflict is positively associated with internalizing behaviors in children and adolescents, but few have considered these associations among young adults. This study uses the cognitive-contextual framework to explore whether appraisals of threat and self-blame explain the expected associations between interparental conflict and internalizing symptoms in a sample of young adults. Perceptions of interparental conflict, appraisals of threat and self-blame, and two aspects of internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety) were measured in 255 undergraduates (ages 18-21) at two Midwestern universities. Parallel mediation models demonstrated an indirect pathway through threat to depressive symptoms. In contrast, the indirect pathway through self-blame was supported when predicting anxiety. The importance of considering interparental conflict and its psychological consequences during young adulthood is discussed.