Do marriage problems affect fathering more than mothering?
A quantitative and qualitative review. Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review, 1, 23-41. The important question of whether marital problems disrupt fathering more than mothering is addressed in (a) a quantitative review of evidence on marital conflict and parenting in intact families, and (b) a qualitative review of research on mother and father involvement with their children following divorce. We conclude that (a) there is limited evidence that, relative to mothering, fathering is more likely to be affected by marital conflict, but suggest that (b) marital status (i.e., divorce) affects fathering notably more than it affects mothering. We further suggest that marital problems may disrupt father involvement which, in turn, weakens the quality of father-child relationships; there likely are multiple alternative pathways through which marriage problems affect parenting, including both “spillover” and “compensation”; researchers need to examine more carefully how marital problems disr
