ABSTRACT
One of the most significant psychosocial variables in psychological development is the family. Current research is exploring multiple factors influencing stress reactions in children (Brom & Kleber, 2009). One line of research has explored the connection between the quality of the marital relationship between the parents, the quality of each parent’s relationship with the child, and the impact on the child (Cowan et al., 1985; Cowan, Cowan, Ablow, Johnson, & Measelle, 2005; Cowan, Cowan, Pruett, & Pruett, 2007). Cowan and Cowan (2010) proposed that the quality of relationships between family members reflects the three-generational family patterns, both parents’ relationship with the child, the balance between life stresses and social supports, and the inner perceptions and transactions that partners bring to their relationship as a couple. In their research, they found that a key factor in the adaptation of the child to school was the quality of the couple’s relationship.
