Marital Conflict and the Role of Child Temperament

This study examined the mediating and moderating role of child temperament in the relationship between marital conflict and the child's affective-behaviorals symp- toms, physical and psychosocial health. 220 female and 193 male elementary school students (fifth grade) were se- lected using stratified random sampling. Their mother were administered the OLeary-Porter Overt Hostitility Scale (Porter & OLeary, 1980), the Early Adolescent Tempera- ment Questionnaire-Revised (Putnam, Ellis & Rothbart, 2001), and the Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form (Landgraf & Abetz, 1996). In addition, mothers and teach- ers of the students completed the Strengths and Difficul- ties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997). Regression analysis of data indicated that marital conflict and child temperment were predictors of child psychopathological symptoms and health. Marital conflict was positively correlated with ne- gative temperament, and negatively correlated with posi- tive temperament. The moderating role of child's positive temperaament and effortful control in marital conflict and child health was posited, as well as the mediating effect of child temperament in the relation between marital confict and child behavioral symptoms. The implications based on the research findings are discussed.