Dyadic Relations Between Interparental Conflict and Parental Emotion Socialization

Abstract

This study examined the effects of destructive and constructive interparental conflict on unsupportive parental emotion socialization behaviors (N = 166 parents of toddlers). Both mothers and fathers completed measures of destructive and constructive interparental conflict and emotion dismissing beliefs and unsupportive responses to toddlers’ expressions of negative emotions such as anger, fear, and sadness. Multilevel modeling for the actor–partner interdependence model indicated spillover effect of destructive conflict and crossover effects of constructive conflict on unsupportive parental emotion socialization. In short, mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of destructive interparental conflict were positively related to their own use of unsupportive emotional socialization behaviors. Mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of constructive interparental conflict were (marginally/trend level) negatively related to the other parent’s use of unsupportive emotion socialization behaviors. These findings advance the literature on the associations between interparental conflict and parental emotion socialization, examining interdependence between mothers and fathers.