The Effects of Infidelity and Interparental Conflict on Predominantly Female Adult Children: A Contextual Perspective

Despite family therapy's systemic principles, limited research addresses the impact of infidelity outside the couple sub-system. Since infidelity is often associated with conflict within the couple relationship, children may experience indirect consequences of parental infidelity that are more directly related to interparental conflict. The purpose of this exploratory quantitative study using the lens of contextual therapy was to gain more information about the relationship between interparental conflict and infidelity, focusing on vertical relationships between adult children and parents and on horizontal relationships between adult children and their partners. Results indicated that increased interparental conflict and the occurrence of mothers' and fathers' infidelity predicted lower vertical relational ethics. Fathers' infidelity predicted decreased horizontal relational ethics; mothers' and participants' infidelities were not significant. The occurrence of adult children's own infidelity partially mediated the relationship between fathers' infidelity and horizontal relational ethics. Implications for clinical practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Grantor dc:publisher

Texas Woman s University

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Schmidt, Alexandra Elyse

• Individual & family studies
• Mental health
• Social research

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11274/280

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:twu-ir.tdl.org:11274/280