Patterns of Spillover Between Marital Adjustment and Parent–Child Conflict During Pediatric Cancer Treatment. (17th March 2018) - Fladeboe, Kaitlyn
Abstract: Objective: When a child is diagnosed with cancer, problems may arise in family relationships and negatively affect child adjustment. The current study examined patterns of spillover between marital and parent–child relationships to identify targets for intervention aimed at ameliorating family conflict. Method: Families ( N = 117) were recruited from two US children's hospitals within 2-week postdiagnosis to participate in a short-term prospective longitudinal study. Children with cancer were 2–10 years old ( M = 5.42 years, SD = 2.59). Primary caregivers provided reports of marital and parent–child conflict at 1-, 6-, and 12-month postdiagnosis. Results: Results indicated that a unidirectional model of spillover from the marital to the parent–child relationship best explained the data. In terms of specific temporal patterns, lower marital adjustment soon after diagnosis was associated with an increase in parent–child conflict 6 months later, though this pattern was not repeated in the latter 6 months of treatment. Conclusion: Targeting problems in marital relationships soon after diagnosis may prevent conflict from developing in the parent–child relationship.