Reducing Parental Conflict: the impact on children
Explore the impact of parental conflict on children and young people.
Applies to England
Evidence on the impact of parental conflict on children
Frequent, intense and poorly resolved conflict between parents can place children at risk of mental health issues, and behavioural, social and academic problems. It can also have a significant effect on a child’s long-term outcomes.
There is a strong body of evidence to show how damaging inter-parental conflict can:
- harm children’s outcomes, even when parents manage to sustain positive parent-child relationships
- put children at more risk of:
- having problems with school and learning
- negative peer relationships
- physical health problems
- smoking and substance misuse
- mental health and wellbeing challenges
The risks can also have an effect on long-term life outcomes such as:
- poor future relationship chances
- reduced academic attainment
- lower employability
- heightened interpersonal violence
- depression and anxiety
What the evidence tells us
Evidence on the impact of parental conflict on children shows that where a child lives with both parents in the same household, more than 1 in 10 (12%) children have at least one parent who reports relationship distress. Previous research (2017) identified that children living in workless families are twice as likely to experience parental conflict than in families where both parents are in work.
Find resources on how parental conflict can affect children
To find out more about how parental conflict can affect multiple outcomes for children, explore the Foundations Reducing Parental Conflict Hub. The hub is a repository of evidence and tools relating to Reducing Parental Conflict.