Stress in a Marriage Affects Interaction with Kids - East Idaho News
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Stress in a Marriage Affects Interaction with Kids

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GETTY 080714 marriagekidsstress?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1407419743427iStock/Thinkstock(UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas) — Many children have natural radar systems that go into overdrive when there’s an undercurrent of tension in the house between mom and dad.

Southern Methodist University psychologist Chrystyna D. Kouros says that’s all the more reason for parents to try and cool things down because their stress and bad feelings can also affect each one’s relationship with their children.

In examining 200 families who wrote about their experiences for 15 days, Kouros learned that moms seemed to over-compensate when marriages were going through rocky patches and as a result, they would generally be more caring with their children.

However, dads were different and not in a good way. When their wives exhibited signs of being depressed, it affected men negatively and that led to worse interactions with the youngsters.

The bottom line, Kouros said, is that the quality of a marriage has an enormous effect on the entire family and parents need to be more cognizant of that fact and how children react to it.


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