The Relationship between Mutual Family Relations and Child Psychopathology

• Published in: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry Vol. 39; no. 4; pp. 477 - 487
• Main Authors: Mathijssen, Jolanda J. J. P., Koot, Hans M., Verhulst, Frank C., De Bruyn, Eric E. J., Oud, Johan H. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Cambridge University Press 01.05.1998; Blackwell; Pergamon Press; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Behavior Disorders - diagnosis; Child Behavior Disorders - psychology; Child clinical studies; Child psychology; Children; Emotional-Behavioural problems; Families & family life; Family Relations; Family relationships; Female; Humans; Internal-External Control; Male; Marriage - psychology; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Netherlands; Parent-Child Relations; Personal relationships; Personality Development; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk Factors; internalising disorder; family factors; relationships; risk factors; Externalising disorder; protective factors; Human; Social environment; Father child relation; Mother child relation; Preadolescent; Behavioral disorder; Prevention; School age; Social interaction; Adolescent; Risk factor; Family environment; Familial relation; Psychopathology; Child
• ISSN: 0021-9630; 1469-7610
• DOI: 10.1017/S0021963098002388

The associations of the mutual mother–child, father–child, and mother–father relationship and various patterns of family relations with child psychopathology were investigated in a sample of 137 families referred to outpatient mental health services. Assessment of the relative association of the different family dyads showed that both the mother–child and the mother–father relationship were related to child problem behaviour. However, whereas the mother–child relationship was consistently more related to externalising behaviour, the mother–father relationship was particularly related to internalising behaviour. Our findings gave clear support for the cumulative risk model: having more negatively qualified relationships was associated with more problem behaviour. Furthermore, our results suggested a protective influence of the parent–child relationship: having one or two positive parent–child relationships was associated with less problem behaviour. No support was found for the cross-generational coalition hypothesis. Implications for future research are discussed.