Prospective associations from family-of-origin interactions to adult marital interactions and relationship adjustment

Abstract

To test the social learning-based hypothesis that marital conflict resolution patterns are learned in the family of origin, longitudinal, observational data were used to assess prospective associations between family conflict interaction patterns during adolescence and offspring's later marital conflict interaction patterns. At age 14 years, 47 participants completed an observed family conflict resolution task with their parents. In a subsequent assessment 17 years later, the participants completed measures of marital adjustment and an observed marital conflict interaction task with their spouse. As predicted, levels of hostility and positive engagement expressed by parents and adolescents during family interactions were prospectively linked with levels of hostility and positive engagement expressed by offspring and their spouses during marital interactions. Family-of-origin hostility was a particularly robust predictor of marital interaction behaviors; it predicted later marital hostility and negatively predicted positive engagement, controlling for psychopathology and family-of-origin positive engagement. For men, family-of-origin hostility also predicted poorer marital adjustment, an effect that was mediated through hostility in marital interactions. These findings suggest a long-lasting influence of family communication patterns, particularly hostility, on offspring's intimate communication and relationship functioning.

Figure 1

Selection of participants for inclusion in present analyses. C = clinical sample; NC = nonclinical sample. ^a The 126 families who participated in the Time 1 interaction task did not differ on any Time 1 demographic variable from the 20 who did not participate. ^b According to Fisher’s exact test, the clinical group was less likely (84%) than the nonclinical group to participate in Time 2 (99%; p < .01). ^c Percentage in a committed relationship did not differ by recruitment group (51% of clinical group, 64% of nonclinical group); χ²(1, N = 115) = 1.99, p > .10. However, of those not in relationships (who were primarily never married), participants in the clinical group were more likely to be divorced or separated (n = 12) than were those in the nonclinical group (n = 2). ^d The percentage of participants completing the couple interaction task was marginally greater in the nonclinical (78%) than in the clinical group (58%); χ²(1, N = 67) = 3.15, p = .08.

Figure 2

Mediation models predicting marital adjustment. Values are standardized regression coefficients. For paths from family-of-origin interactions to marital adjustment, direct effects are displayed above the path and mediated effects are shown below the path. The model predicting marital adjustment with family-of-origin hostility and marital hostility is shown for men only. ^†p < .10. *p < .05. **p < .01.