Children victims of marital conflict: Impact and interventions

Pages: 215-218
Talasha Sawant and Cindy Dsilva (Department of Psychology, Nirmala Institute of Education, Panjim, Goa)

Like in any relationship conflicts occur in marriage too. This happens when the needs and wishes of spouses deviate and are thus not compatible. Conflicts impact everyone involved in it. This study focuses on studying the impact of marital conflict (domestic violence & substance abuse) on children and also to propose strength based interventions to help children impacted by marital conflict. Marital conflicts have a severe impact on the children and studies have found that these children frequently fall ill. The conflict also affects their ability to have positive romantic relationships; they also tend to have poor interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and social competence, thus impacting their social skills and behavior. Lastly, the psychological impact includes low self-esteem, mood disturbances, aggression and rage; among a range of others things.