The associations of the mutual mother–child, father–child,
and mother–father relationship
and various patterns of family relations with child psychopathology were
investigated in a
sample of 137 families referred to outpatient mental health services. Assessment
of the
relative association of the different family dyads showed that
both the mother–child and the
mother–father relationship were related to child problem behaviour.
However, whereas the
mother–child relationship was consistently more related to externalising
behaviour, the
mother–father relationship was particularly related to
internalising behaviour. Our findings
gave clear support for the cumulative risk model: having more negatively
qualified
relationships was associated with more problem behaviour. Furthermore,
our results
suggested a protective influence of the parent–child relationship:
having one or two positive
parent–child relationships was associated with less problem behaviour.
No support was
found for the cross-generational coalition hypothesis. Implications for
future research are
discussed.