Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Unique Influences Of Parental Divorce And Parental Conflict On Emerging Adults In Romantic Relationships, Scott R. Braithwaite, Reed A. Doxey, Krista Dowdle, Frank D. Fincham

Faculty Publications

Parental divorce and parental conflict influence children across multiple domains, including risk of divorce in their own marriages. However, parental conflict and divorce, both separately and the interaction between the two, have not often been studied in premarital relationships, especially when considering possible mechanisms mediating these effects. In a large sample of emerging adults (N = 353), we show that when the most plausible mediating mechanisms are simultaneously considered, only relational commitment mediates the influence of parental conflict on outcomes. Parental conflict in the absence of divorce was associated with less commitment and, in turn, less relationship satisfaction and stability …