Parental Conflict

All couples experience conflict at times, this is normal, however it becomes a problem when the conflict is frequent, intense or unresolved.

Free time, money, intimacy, children, housework and extended family are some of the main reasons why couples argue.

Parental conflict is different to domestic abuse and our approach to supporting couples experiencing conflict should be different to our approach to supporting domestic abuse victims however, children are still impacted by parental conflict. Children who are exposed to frequent, intense or unresolved conflict are more likely to suffer with their mental health or have behavioural or social problems and they are more likely to struggle academically.

Children who are exposed to regular conflict that is not resolved, may find it hard to make or sustain friendships. They are likely to struggle to resolve issues with their friendships as they have not been shown how to do this in their home environment. Children learn a lot from watching how their parents manage conflict and respond to pressure.

It is important to note that parental conflict can take place when a couple have separated and are co-parenting their children. For these families conflict could happen when one parent collects or drops off the child from the other parent.

Children often copy their parents behaviour therefore it is important that parents model to their children how to manage and resolve conflict in a healthy and safe way.

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