Marital conflict and children's emotions: The development of an anger organization

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between anger-based marital conflict and the development of an anger organization in children between the ages of 4 and 8 years old. Anger organization was defined as an adversarial approach to relationships demonstrated through (a) short-term anger expressions during social interaction and (b) aggression in relationships. Seventy-one children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, their mothers, and their teachers participated in the study. Mothers completed questionnaires on anger-based marital conflict and on children's aggression. Sociometric ratings of anger and aggression were obtained from peers. Teachers supplied reports of children's aggression. Children's short-term emotional expression and the circumstances that elicited emotions were observed during peer interaction. Anger-based marital conflict was found to be strongly associated with peer, maternal, and teacher reports of aggression, but not with reports of internalizing symptomatology. Anger-based marital conflict was also associated with short-term anger expressions, but not with short-term expressions of sadness. I argue that children develop an emotional organization in which anger predominates when they are exposed to high levels of anger-based marital conflict.