Research Assistant Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons East Marion, New York, United States
Background: Effective conflict resolution in families helps to promote adaptive child social and emotional skills. During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents experienced financial, social, and psychological stressors and rates of destructive inter-partner conflict tactics rose, including use of verbal conflict (yelling, swearing) and intimate partner violence (IPV). Considering risks posed to child socioemotional development by exposure to IPV and inter-partner verbal aggression, evaluating the impact of conflict tactics on children born during the pandemic is vital to understand variation in social and emotional development among the generation of children born during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: Evaluate associations between inter-partner conflict tactics including physical/sexual IPV, verbal conflict, and constructive tactics (such as negotiation and showing respect) and child socioemotional functioning at 36 months. Design/Methods: This study draws data from the COVID-19 Mother-Baby Outcomes Initiative (COMBO) at Columbia University. When children were 36 months old, mothers reported use of verbal conflict, constructive tactics, and IPV in the past year on the Conflict Tactics Scale – short form (CTS2S) and child behavior problems were assessed via the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) via online survey. Chi squared and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between study constructs. Results: 14.6% (n=19) of the 130 partnered mothers reported IPV involvement, which did not differ by income level. Higher family income was associated with more verbal conflict (p=0.036) and more constructive conflict (p <.001). In unadjusted models, greater verbal conflict was associated with more child externalizing problems (B=0.19, p=0.033), and constructive conflict was associated with more child emotional reactivity (B=0.19, p=0.026). When models were adjusted for household income, child age, and sex, IPV involvement, verbal conflict, and constructive conflict were not associated with child socioemotional functioning.
Conclusion(s): Preliminary results indicate that constructive conflict and verbal aggression are relevant to child social and emotional development at 3 years old. By April 2024, ~200 more responses are expected; analyses will be updated. Results suggested that IPV occurred irrespective of income, but verbal aggression and constructive conflict occurred at highest frequency in high-income families. Results underscore the importance of family conflict resolution style in research on childhood socioemotional development.
