Family conflict, mood, and adolescents' daily school problems: moderating roles of internalizing and externalizing symptoms

Child Dev. 2015 Jan-Feb;86(1):241-58. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12300. Epub 2014 Oct 23.

Abstract

Using daily diary data, this study examined cross-day associations between family conflict and school problems and tested mediating effects of daily negative mood and moderating effects of psychological symptoms. For 2 weeks, parents and adolescents (N = 106; Mage = 15.4) reported daily conflict; adolescents reported daily negative mood and school problems. Results indicated bidirectional, multiday spillover between parent-adolescent conflict and school problems with daily negative mood statistically accounting for spillover both within and across days. Externalizing symptoms strengthened links between father-adolescent conflict and school problems, whereas depressive and anxious symptoms strengthened links between parent-adolescent conflict and daily negative mood. By demonstrating cross-domain transmission of daily problems, these findings highlight the salience of everyday events as possible intervention targets.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
  • Adult
  • Affect / physiology*
  • Aged
  • Family Conflict / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Parent-Child Relations*
  • Problem Behavior / psychology*
  • Schools