for the study included 39 articles gathered from computerized data bases (mostly from Psyclit and ERIC; 1981-1998). Marital conflict and parenting behaviors were the variables of focus and a statistical analysis was part of the inclusion criteria.
The study findings were consistent with some previous findings, parenting behaviors were affected by interparental or marital conflict.
Falsification principles were not formally utilized since there was no hypothesis and therefore no null hypothesis to prove false.
New data for this study included that which was related to the results of the meta-analysis, which revealed an average weighted effect size of -.62 regarding the relationship between parental conflict and parenting behavior.
Variables for the meta-analysis included the marital conflict and parenting behaviors.
This was not a study of a treatment program. It was a meta-analysis of previous studies that had empirically and statistically examined the relationship between marital conflict and parenting behavior. Inclusion criteria for an article chosen for the meta-analysis also included that results be presented in a form allowing for calculation of an effect size, and the target child was less than 18 years of age.
Changes noted from this research are as follows. Findings from the sample articles were that marital conflict was related to parenting behaviors. Different from previous studies which ranged from -.10 to .56, specifically, harsh discipline and parental acceptance were related and the average effect size was -.62.
The measures for this meta-analysis were: data bases were investigated with the variables marital conflict and parenting behaviors; and those articles meeting inclusion criteria were examined for this study.
The causes of the effects found were noted. The ôspillover hypothesisö was used to explain that the emotional conflict in the marriage spilled over to the parent-child relat...