Boundary disturbances in marriage : links with triadic family interactions

In the present study, role disturbances in the marriage, that is, partners treating one another as a parent or child, predicted triadic enmeshment and triadic controlling behavior, the triadic boundary disturbances found to forecast ADHD and depressive symptoms in middle childhood above and beyond the emotional climate of the marriage. The ratio of positive to negative affectivity was negatively related to triadic disengagement, indicating that positive affectivity in the marriage predicted engagement, or generationally and developmentally appropriate levels of closeness between family members, two years later. Dyadic flexibility was negatively associated with triadic enmeshment, or the extent to which one parent turned to the child or the other parent to meet his or her unmet needs in a way that violated generational boundaries or appropriate family roles.