تعارضات زناشویی و پیامدهای نوجوانان: مقایسه گروه فرا قومی جوانان لاتین و اروپا - آمریکا

Available research indicates a link between marital conflict and youth outcomes; however, relatively few studies examine these relationships in Latinos, the largest U.S. ethnic group. The present study examines this relationship in both Latino and European American families. Self-report data measuring externalizing and internalizing youth behaviors, along with overt and covert marital conflict, were used in analyses of 788 Latino and 751 European American adolescents. Results support current literature indicating a strong link between marital conflict and youth outcomes, regardless of ethnic group. These associations are similarly related for the differential effects of overt and covert marital conflict on externalizing and internalizing behaviors. However, overt conflict was significantly more predictive of internalizing behaviors than covert conflict. These results yield valuable information for clinical intervention and further research.

The prevalence of mental/behavioral disorders for children and adolescents has been estimated to be approximately one in five (World Health Organization, 2003), with findings generalized to numerous geographic populations worldwide (Kazdin & Weisz, 2003). Not surprisingly, the symptoms associated with these disorders pose a significant challenge in terms of key individual and relational outcomes (e.g., parent-child relationship quality, peer associations, academic performance; Essau, 2003). Annual cost estimates also demonstrate the high financial costs experienced by adolescents' families and by the various health, social services, and welfare systems associated with treatment (e.g., Foster & Jones, 2005). Furthermore, even at sub-syndromal levels, adolescent problems can all pose a significant interpersonal and financial risk to societal functioning (Kazdin & Weisz, 2003).