ABSTRACT
Children exposed to hostile and aggressive confl ict between their caregivers are at increased risk for a wide range of psychological and physical health problems (for reviews, see Buehler, et al., 1997 ; Cummings & Davies, 2002 ). Over the past two decades, tremendous progress has been made in understanding how interparental confl ict gives rise to adjustment problems in children. These advances refl ect the confl uence of several theoretical perspectives that provide a multifaceted description of the processes that underlie the link between confl ict and child maladjustment. The conceptual models salient in this area include both broad theoretical frameworks and domain-specifi c models tailored to the unique context of parental confl ict. In this chapter, we highlight the dominant theoretical models that have guided research on the impact of interparental hostility and aggression on children, examine their empirical support, and identify directions for the continued evolution of research in this area. But fi rst, we describe how we defi ne the constructs that the chapter will focus on.
