Version 1
: Received: 19 May 2023 / Approved: 22 May 2023 / Online: 22 May 2023 (04:59:36 CEST)
How to cite:
Salerno, A.; Raciti, I.; Tosto, M.; Merenda, A. Parental Triangulation in Separated & Divorced Families: Causes and Impact on the Intergenerational Parent-Child Conflict. Preprints2023, 2023051463. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.1463.v1
Salerno, A.; Raciti, I.; Tosto, M.; Merenda, A. Parental Triangulation in Separated & Divorced Families: Causes and Impact on the Intergenerational Parent-Child Conflict. Preprints 2023, 2023051463. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.1463.v1
Salerno, A.; Raciti, I.; Tosto, M.; Merenda, A. Parental Triangulation in Separated & Divorced Families: Causes and Impact on the Intergenerational Parent-Child Conflict. Preprints2023, 2023051463. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.1463.v1
APA Style
Salerno, A., Raciti, I., Tosto, M., & Merenda, A. (2023). Parental Triangulation in Separated & Divorced Families: Causes and Impact on the Intergenerational Parent-Child Conflict. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.1463.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Salerno, A., Monica Tosto and Aluette Merenda. 2023 "Parental Triangulation in Separated & Divorced Families: Causes and Impact on the Intergenerational Parent-Child Conflict" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.1463.v1
Abstract
The triangulation process represents a violation of the boundary between parental and child relational subsystems which, in turn, affects family dynamics and relationships. The paper, with distinct reference to marital conflict and divorced couples, describes the main causes of the triangulation process and its impact on children (and adolescents) as significant third participants within the parental conflict. Besides, it fo-cuses on long-term consequences associated with triangulation process to parental conflict exposure, that can adversely affect the well-being of children during their life-cycle, and even into adulthood. A data-search was carried out for articles to be included in the review and articles were retrieved from different electronic databases (first: Scopus and Web of Science, then: PsychINFO, Google Scholar, EBSCO and ScienceDirect,). After having initially considered 152 articles, 58 studies were selected for this research. A qualitative analysis was conducted on selected studies, focusing on: (1) different types of triangulation commonly used in intergenerational family relationships; (2) an updated summary of the research around the impact of triangulation on the well-being of children and the parent-child conflict; and (3) the main characteristics of successful intervention of preventative and psychotherapeutic treatments. In conclusion, the results, examining the long-term effects of the triangulation process, highlight the developmental paths of children that are more exposed and at risk, and focuses on the importance of preventing the intergenerational transmission of marital conflict, as a way to reduce mental health costs and to improve the well-being of children and families who are all involved in these conflicting and destructive dynamics.
Public Health and Healthcare, Health Policy and Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
