The book concludes that how parents argue rather than whether children are present or absent is what matters. Children are unlikely to be troubled if parents manage and resolve disputes effectively they may even learn helpful ways of dealing with conflict in later life. By giving parents evidence about different kinds of conflict and its impact on their children they can decide for themselves how to resolve disagreements.
Children are keen observers of their parents' relationships.
The research shows that children are troubled when their parents don't get on to the extent that they worry that they are to blame for the argument, that their parents might separate or even that they should intervene to help parents settle their differences. The book's editor is Jenny Reynolds, the senior researcher for One Plus One, and her special area of interest is in promoting greater understanding between researchers and practitioners to achieve more effective support for couples in troubled relationships. What matters, therefore, is how parents manage their disagreements. Furthermore, the impact can be long-lasting. Dr Gordon Harold, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at Cardiff University and Jan Pryor, a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.