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Implications of unique and shared variance of interparental conflict and child emotional insecurity through parental depressive symptomology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2025

Olena Kopystynska Open the ORCID record for Olena Kopystynska [Opens in a new window] ,
J. Scott Crapo ,
Melissa A. Barnett Open the ORCID record for Melissa A. Barnett [Opens in a new window] ,
Kay Bradford ,
Brian Higginbotham  and
Melissa A. Curran
Olena Kopystynska*
Affiliation:
Family Life and Human Development, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, USA
J. Scott Crapo
Affiliation:
Human Development and Family Studies, Utah State University, Logan, USA
Melissa A. Barnett
Affiliation:
Human Development and Family Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
Kay Bradford
Affiliation:
Human Development and Family Studies, Utah State University, Logan, USA
Brian Higginbotham
Affiliation:
Human Development and Family Studies, Utah State University, Logan, USA
Melissa A. Curran
Affiliation:
Human Development and Family Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
*
Corresponding author: Olena Kopystynska; Email: olenakopystynska@suu.edu
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Abstract

The goal of this study was to unpack processes that may lead to child emotional insecurity. Guided by the emotional security theory (EST/EST-R), we examined the mediational role of parental depressive symptomology between interparental conflict (IPC), both constructive and destructive, and child emotional insecurity at age 36-months. We partitioned unique variance of IPC from shared using an extension of the common fate model. We used two-wave data from the Building Strong Families project, which consisted of racially diverse couples/parents (N = 4,424) who were low income and unmarried at the conception of their child. We found gendered differences for how mothers and fathers experience IPC, with mothers more influenced by their relational circumstances. We also found that fathers were vulnerable to experiencing depressive symptoms following aspects of destructive IPC. Consistent with EST-R, constructive IPC did not promote emotional security in children. Rather, both destructive and constructive IPC related to greater levels of emotional insecurity, with destructive IPC showing stronger effects. Proposed mediation was found for fathers only. Our findings may appeal to scholars who focus on untangling the complexity of IPC and intervention specialists and clinicians interested in a process-oriented approaches to the development of child psychopathology.

Keywords

child emotional insecuritycommon fate modeldyadic datainterparental conflictparental psychopathology
Type
Regular Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , First View , pp. 1 - 12
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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