How parents' arguments affect parenting and children's well-being
Interparental Conflict and Parenting
This project looks at how outside stresses change the way parents' conflicts lead to harsher parenting and affect children ages 0–11.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11160532 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your family is part of this work, researchers will follow parents and children over time and collect information from parents, children, and observers about stress, family relationships, and parenting behaviors. The team is adding three more follow-up visits to an earlier set of data and will use surveys, interviews, and direct observations across multiple settings. They use a quasi-experimental approach to compare families facing extra-familial stressors with those less affected and examine how conflict between parents spills over into parenting. The goal is to identify lasting patterns in family functioning and who may be most at risk so future supports can be targeted.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are families with children roughly aged 0–11, especially those experiencing high levels of external stress or interparental conflict.
Not a fit: Families without interparental conflict or outside stressors, or those seeking immediate clinical treatment, may not see direct or rapid benefits from this research participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal which family patterns lead to harsher parenting and help target supports to protect children from long-term harm.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research links parental conflict to harsher parenting, but this long-term, multi-wave, quasi-experimental approach to chart lasting effects is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Rochester, United States
- University of Rochester — Rochester, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sturge-Apple, Melissa L — University of Rochester
- Study coordinator: Sturge-Apple, Melissa L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.