Australian population-based trajectories of interparental conflict from childhood to adolescence and mental health outcomes.

Abstract

Interparental conflict (IPC) can be a stressful experience for children and adolescents and has been associated with poor mental health outcomes for young people later in life. There is considerable variability in experiences of IPC, ranging from sporadic conflict to chronic and severe conflict. Few longitudinal studies, however, have characterized trajectories of IPC from early childhood to adolescence and how different patterns of exposure to IPC may affect adolescent mental health. The present study aimed to identify different patterns of IPC from childhood to adolescence and their relationship to adolescent mental health outcomes using multi-informant methods. Growth mixture modeling using data from a nationally representative Australian population-based study (N = 8,641) across six timepoints from 4 to 15 years old revealed four trajectories of mother-reported IPC: consistently low (85.8%), increasing (2.7%), decreasing (2%), and persistently elevated (9.6%). Adolescents exposed to a pattern of high IPC in early childhood that decreased over time had low anxiety at 15 years, but higher antisocial behavior compared to adolescents in increasing and consistently low IPC trajectories. Adolescents exposed to persistently elevated IPC over time also had higher antisocial behavior than adolescents in increasing and consistently low IPC trajectories. There were no differences in adolescent depressive symptoms by IPC trajectory or sex differences in adolescent mental health outcomes. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings, including the importance of early intervention in preventing and managing IPC, are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).