Marital adjustment and behaviour problems in children.

Previous research has suggested links between marital unhappiness and behaviour problems in children. A survey was carried out in a community based Child Psychiatric clinic in Ireland to investigate these links. Methods used involved self report questionnaires administered to mothers of forty-eight children attending the clinic. A control group was selected for comparison. Tests of correlation indicate significant associations between marital adjustment and behaviour problems for both clinic and control populations. Some possible mechanisms are suggested.