Household chaos and parental marital adjustment: predictor of internalizing

and externalizing problems among children

By

Malik Tahira Rafique Awan

Roll no 01

Fatima Batool

Roll no.05

Attiya Gillani

Roll no.06

Aqsa Saleem

Roll no. 08

Session 2020-22

Department of Psychology

Faculty of Arts

University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

 A thesis

Submitted to the in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of

MSC

In

Psychology

Session: 2020--2022

Department of Psychology

Faculty of Arts

University of Azad Jammu And Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, Pakistan

CONTENTS

CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………ii

LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………..vii

LIST OF APPENDICES………………………………………………………....viii

DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………….ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………………………………………………………x

ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….xi

CHAPTER 1……………………………………………………………………….1

INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………1

Chaos……………….………………………………………………………………1

Parental Marital Adjustment………………………………………………………..

………………...……………………………………………………………………1

Impact of marital adjustment on children…………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………….....1

Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems

…………………………………………………………………………….2

Internalizing problems

……………………………………………………2

Externalizing Problems

…………………………………………………………………...……2

Impact of CHAOS on marital adjustment

…………………………………………………………………….……2

CHAPTER 2……………………………………………………………………..13

LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………………..13

Rationale of study………………………………………………………………..19

CHAPTER 3……………………………………………………………………..21

METHOD……………………………………………………………………..…21

Objectives…………………………………………………………………….….21

Hypothesis………………………………………………………………………21

Operational definition of Variables……………………………………………..21

Marital adjustment
………………………………………………………….21

Chaos

………………………………………………………………………21

Internalizing factors

……………………………………………………………………………22

Externalizing factors

………………………………………………………………………….22

Research design…………………………………………………………………22

Sample size……………………………………………………………………...22

Inclusion criteria………………………………………………………………....22

Exclusion criteria………………………………………………………………...23

Demographic sheet………………………………………………………………23

Questionnaire……………………………………………………………………23

Instrument…………………………………………………………………….…23

Chaos Scale…………………………………………………………………………

23
Dyadic Adjustment Scale……………………………………………………24

Procedure……………………………………………………………………...…24

Chapter 4…………………………………………………………………………25

RESULTS……………………………………………………………………...…25

Chapter 5…………………………………………………………………………30

DISCUSSION…………………………………………………………………....30

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..32

Limitation…………………………………………………………………………33

Suggestion………………………………………………………………………...34

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………....35

Appendix A………………………………………………………………………38

IINFORMED CONSENT……………………………………………………......38

Appendix B………………………………………………………………………39

DEMOGRAPHIC SHEET…………………………………………………….…39

Appendix C……………………………………………………………………....40

Appendix D………………………………………………………………………46
 LIST OF TABLES

Table# Description Page#

Table#01 Frequency and percentages across

variables (N=300)

Table#02 Psychometric properties of study variables (N=300)

Table#03 Pearson Correlation among study variables (N=300)

Table #04 Mean, standard deviation and t-test for female and male of the study

variable

Table#05 Mean, standard deviation and F value for income on study variable

Table#06 Mean, standard deviation and F value for spouse occupation on study

variable (N=300)
 List of Appendices

Appendix A Informed Consent

Appendix B Demographic sheet

Appendix C Chaos Scale

Appendix D Dyadic Adjustment Scale

 DEDICATION

Firstly, we want to dedicate this book to Allah Almighty and Last Prophet Muhammad

(PBUH). We are very grateful for the blessings given by Allah Almighty. This study is whole

heartedly dedicated to our beloved parents who facilitated us and gave us strength to excel in our

educational career. As well as dedicated to our siblings and friends who have been a source of

encouragement throughout our study.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All the praises and thanks to Allah Almighty and Last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

We would like to express our deep gratitude towards Mam Asma for her guidance throughout the

study, her experience in the field proved to be very beneficial for present study.

We would like to encourage the efforts of our chairperson Mam Samina Sabir and her dedication

towards the department and persistent support of encouraging students and teachers to participate

in workshops.

We would also like to pay our gratitude towards our senior faculty member Mam Zain for her

support and guidance throughout the degree program. We would also acknowledge Sir Mubashir

for his guidance throughout the degree program and help in dealing with statistical analysis of

the data.

We would like to appreciate our class fellows for being helpful throughout degree program. We

are especially grateful to our family who encouraged us and facilitated us in our study through

every possible means.

Group member names

 ABSTRACT

The current study was aimed to assess the impact of household chaos and parental marital

adjustment: predictor of internalizing and externalizing problems among children. In the sample

of three hundreds (N=300) ie,150 couples were included in this study. All participants

completed the Chaos Scale and Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Total 47 items questionnaires were

given to the participants from different departments regions of Azad Jammu And Kashmir. Data

was analyzed using SPSS software. Correlation yielded that there is positive correlation between

the scales (CHAOS Scale) and (Dyadic Adjustment Scale). Results indicate that there is

significant impact of household chaos and parental marital adjustment: predictor of internalizing

and externalizing problems among children hypothesis (There is positive correlation between

household chaos and internalizing and externalizing problems among children) as our results

are positive so it accepts the above-mentioned hypothesis.

Key words: Chaos, Dyadic Adjustment Scale

 Chapter 1

Introduction

Chaos:

Chaos is the presence of crowding, confusion, and noise as well as the lack of routines and high

unpredictability Chaos Scale (Ludwig et al.,1995). Household chaos is a family-level factor that

could modify associations between DV and parenting practices. Chaos in the home is

conceptualized as heightened confusion, agitation, disorganization, and lack of family routines

(Evans et al.,2005).

There are many strategies to deal with the various types of turmoil that we all

encounter in our everyday lives, which is fantastic. Your response to chaos will

depend on you, and it could influence how events unfold for a very long time, if

not forever. There will be less of an outside impact on us the more we can regulate

our own space. Whatever type of chaos you are experiencing, there are always

ways to deal with it and feel better. Finding inner peace and reconciling inner and

outside conflict is the greatest accomplishment (Dekovic M et al.,2003).

Parental Marital Adjustment:

Marital adjustment describes the accommodation of spouses to each other. Factors

contributing to levels of marital adjustment include marital satisfaction, cohesion,

agreement, affection, and conflict. Conflicts are among the most important

determinants of the quantity and quality of relationships among family

members. “When family members believe that what they want is

incompatible with what one or more other families want, conflict happens” In

fact, conflicts are caused by inconsistent goals or interests of family members

and their different evaluations of life issues. (Harris et al.,2014) Research

conducted in Iran and other countries have shown that conflicts are common

between couples, and, in Iran, 92% of the respondents reported conflicts in

their marriages. Studies from other parts of the world also have indicated

conflicts and minor abuse among 65% of the women. (Achenbach & Rescorla,

1991). Conflicts are necessary and valuable for the evolution of a

marriage Conflicts that are properly managed can help couples learn from

each other and improve their relationships. Conflicts in marriages may

produce various personal, familial, physical, and psychological

consequences. They can result in depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.

Despite the fact that married people are usually healthier than single people

conflict in marriages can lead to poorer health conditions and the risk of
certain diseases, such as heart disease, as well as cancer and chronic pains.
(Acock et al., 1997)

Furthermore, conflicts in marriages can affect family life in different ways,

e.g., it may decrease the performance of the parents and the compatibility of

the children and increase conflicts among all family members (parents and

children as well as between siblings) .Evaluation of the effects of conflicts in

marriages on the physical and psychosocial health of children has indicated

that such conflicts adversely affected the emotional safety of children .In

general, such conflicts exert negative effects on the children and result in

their insecure attachment to parents (Amato et al.,2002).

Various sources, such as incompatible needs of couples, poor communication

skills, distorted beliefs, extreme emotional reactions, and negative enforcing

patterns can trigger conflicts in marriages. Researchers also have identified

several major sources of conflict, i.e., violent behaviors of husbands, lack of

cooperation in the family, inability to spend enough time together, issues

related to children and other families, lack of effective communication, and

financial problems. (Anderson et al.,1992)

Indian women considered low interaction with their husbands, gender

preferences, and alcohol abuse to be responsible for their low-quality

communication with their husbands. Women also expressed fear, anxiety,

depression, and nervousness about becoming mothers due to the pressure to

have a son at all costs and families’ rejection of a female child, and alcohol

abuse as the main factors responsible for their low-quality communication

with their husbands. (Arbuckle et al.,2003) Also, a quantitative study of couples

highlighted personal traits, communication skills, commitment, and family

background as the most significant factors related to conflicts in marriages .In

a study of the effects of family therapy on resolving family conflicts, Kumar

concluded that family therapy was effective for social and psychological

problem-solving, promoted effective involvement of family members, and

improved the family members’ social and psychological performance,

healthy communication patterns, and satisfaction in relationships .Dildar

investigated conflict resolution methods among unhappily married couples

and suggested that both parties tended to use avoidance techniques to resolve

conflicts, i.e., they have not used compromise, collaboration, or forgiveness

methods .Moreover, the dominant style occurred more frequently among men

than women .In a quantitative study, the effectiveness of solution-focused

couples’ therapy on dimensions of intimacy among couples was assessed in

Isfahan, Iran. It was reported that this method could efficiently enhance

intimacy in couples with problematic marriages (Darwish Murad et al.,2004).

In a quantitative study, acceptance and commitment therapy also was found

to have increased intimacy and decreased conflicts among couples in Tehran,

Iran. Also, quantitative results have shown that training couples in

communication skills and conflict resolution styles has been successful in

increasing satisfaction and decreasing conflicts and significant differences

have been identified in neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness, and all

subscales of the psychological symptoms list between normal and high-risk

(divorcing) couples. (Bongers Il et al.,2003)

Moreover, from all personal, psychological, and demographic variables,

neuroticism, depression, paranoia, number of children, type of marriage, and

household income were significantly associated with marital conflicts.

Heydar and his colleague confirmed that effective dialogue could efficiently

decrease conflicts in marriage, and they suggested that emotional reactions

toward each other, attracting children’s support, collaboration, and sexual

relationships were the main factors that affect the quality of a marriage. (Harris
et al.,2014)

Impact of marital adjustment on children:

The few studies that have been conducted among married couple families examining the effects

of marital quality on child well-being consistently find that children are affected by their parents'

marital relationships. If the relationship of parents is healthy their children are confident, self-

sufficient, and independent there is a good communication skill of that child while those parents

who have poor relationships or they often are indulged in household chaos their children in turn

get affected by the household chaos and they have a communication gap between parents and are

less confident moreover they have poor communication skill and lack decision making skill.

Most of the research on how parent marriage quality affects children's well-being outcomes has

focused on the mental and physical health of kids. Research has indicated that, in small samples,

children's assessments of their parents' marital quality are directly correlated with mental health

markers such anxiety, depression, and internalizing tendencies. Researchers have discovered, in

terms of physical health, that parent-child marriage conflict is associated to overall child health,

digestive issues, weariness, and chronic illness.

The current study goes beyond previous research by using a nationally representative sample for

these analyses. Furthermore, this research examines how stronger household chaos influences

internalizing and externalizing factors.

Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems:

Internalizing problems:
An internalizing behavior is a behavior directed inwardly toward oneself. It is an over-controlled

and self-directed type of behavior. Internalizing behavior patterns are subtle and often go

unnoticed by parents and other adults.

Externalizing Problems:

Externalizing behavior is behavior directed outwardly toward others or the social environment. It

is characterized as an under-controlled and out-directed mode of responding 1. Rule-breaking

behaviors or acts that violate social norms such as physical aggression and defiance are examples

of externalizing behavior.

Impact of CHAOS on marital adjustment:

(Wachs TD, Evans GW ,2010) Family routines, high levels of background stimulation, a lack of

predictability and structure in daily activities, and an excessively rapid pace of family life are all

characteristics of household chaos, which is a measure of the level of disorganization or

environmental confusion in the home (Ackerman BP and Brown ED,2010). It is significant since

the construct of family chaos has been linked to a variety of poor childhood outcomes, such as

reduced social and emotional functioning, delayed cognitive growth, worse academic success,

and behavioral issues (Deater-Deckard K et al., 2009).

As adolescents enter adolescence, family relationships go through normative changes. Conflict

between parents and children may become more common as a result of this development. In spite

of its temporary disturbance to family life, parent-child conflict can serve beneficial purposes,

such as strengthening children's independence. Conflict is unavoidable in all social relationships.

(Steinberg, 1990). Large-scale studies suggest that although conflict occurs fairly frequently in

families with adolescent children, most parents and their adolescents do not experience a high
amount of conflict and do not generally disagree about substantive issues, in contrast to early

dominant views that portray adolescence as a time characterized by tumult, stress, and social

unrest. (Barber, 1994). Parent-child conflict may be detrimental to teenage development, though,

if there are few opportunities for constructive engagement or if it takes place in the context of

larger family issues (Steinberg, 1990). Research supports this contention.

Using cross-sectional data from the NSFH, Buehler and Gerard (2002) found that frequent

parent-child conflict partially mediated the association between marital conflict and children’s

global

adjustment in a sample of families with children aged 12 to 18 years. Acock

and Demo(1999) also drew from NSFH data to examine the concurrent and

longitudinal associations among marital conflict, parent-youth conflict, and

children’s maladjustment. Through its longitudinal link with parent-adolescent conflict, early

marital conflict was found to indirectly influence later adolescent maladjustment (evaluated 5

years later). Early marital conflict was linked to concurrent maladaptation issues in kids, which

were directly related to later parent-adolescent relationships.

Rationale of the study:

Sometimes when people are married, they feel like a significant figure; believe that they will be

sharing a greater burden, so they do not value their spouse more or the contribution they are

making. In this situation, chaos is created, and it seems difficult to really sort it out with

discussion. This constant disagreement makes conflicts between spouses, and they lash out on

others in the environment, sometimes their own child, which in turn effects the internalizing and

externalizing factors. Moreover, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from household

chaos. It may hinder someone's capacity for social interaction. A psychological assessment may

be helpful when a person exhibits mood swings or behavioral problems for an extended period,

and a psychological disorder diagnosis may follow. People who receive proper care frequently

become better. The goal of the current study is to better understand how household turmoil

affects how parents adjust in their marriages as well as how it affects children's internalizing and

externalizing variables.

The purpose of selecting age group of 25-50 most of the people in Pakistan are married in same

age bracket and stressful life events and the sudden life experiences happen in the same age.

Marital adjustment along with household chaos account for 13% global burden of these issues,

and it appears to be increasing including their children is higher about 25-60%.

This study aims to investigate the impact of household chaos on parental marital agreements and

internalizing and externalizing factors. The significance of this study is to determine the

relationship how valuing on another and better communication is helpful in coping with
household chaos since many people in our country are facing similar problems in their

relationship with spouse.

There are some limitations in our study that it did not consider the mothers having twins or the

mental pressure on them due to chaos and likewise on twins, it did not shed the light on different

economic status of people, it did not discuss the vulnerability factors of household chaos and the

its effects on mental health .The major contribution of this study was to help clarify whether

household chaos disorganization and/or instability might have a direct influence on internalizing

or externalizing factors of children and on spouse relationship. Our study found that household

chaos does affect the children and their parents. It sets a notion to psychoeducation young

couples and gives them counselling sessions where they can learn parenting and how impactful is

the role of them as parents they are playing in society.

 Chapter 2

Literature review

The Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5 to 5 (Achenbach and Rescorla 2000) was completed

by caregivers at the 6-month follow-up assessment event to measure children's internalizing and

externalizing behavior issues. For each of the 100 behaviors, such as "shows little interest in

things around him/her" and "temper tantrums or strong temper," parents assessed their children

on a three-point scale from 0 (not true) to 2. (very true). T scores were applied to the data

analysis. The CBCL is a valid and reliable tool due to its high test-retest reliability (r = 0.90 and

0.87 for the internalizing and externalizing scales, respectively) and discriminant validity

(between children who were and were not referred for mental health care). (Rescorla and

Achenbach 2000). Moroccan immigrant teenagers are said to exhibit significant levels of

externalizing problems, despite the fact that little research has been done on the factors that

predict externalizing problems in immigrant adolescent samples (Stevens GWJM et al., 2003).

These results are in line with other studies that have looked at the risk and protective factors for

children who are not immigrants experiencing externalizing challenges. Boys are more likely

than girls to suffer externalizing disorders, and there is a significant comorbidity between

internalizing and externalizing issues, according to gender differences. Additionally, social, and

academic characteristics were quite significant: children who frequently hung out with friends,

had deviant friends, and experienced academic difficulties displayed the most externalizing

problems. Low levels of parental supervision, affection, and support were also blatant risk
factors, as were high levels of conflict within the family, particularly between parents and their

kids. Finally, teenagers who believed Moroccans frequently faced discrimination were at

danger of externalizing their issues. There are several conclusions that require more detail.

First, peer support had little impact on externalizing behavior. Our hypothesis is that while

some peers discourage one another from acting out, others encourage one another to act out,

which prevents the peer support effect from occurring. Second, a peculiar link between

maternal support and TRF Externalizing was discovered. Low levels of CBCL and YSR

Externalizing were linked to maternal support, whereas high levels of TRF Externalizing were.

Moroccan mothers frequently mediate between dads and children, and they frequently keep

their spouses from finding out about their children's bad behavior out of concern for his

retribution. According to Pels T. (2003), permissiveness may be present in maternal support.

Adolescent rule-breaking and disruptive behavior may be reinforced by mothers'

permissiveness. This type of teenage conduct, according to Pels T. (2003), is particularly

obvious in environments outside the home, such as the classroom. Third, and contrary to many

other studies, there was little evidence of a relationship between parental psychopathology and

teenagers' externalizing behavior (Kaslow NJ et al.,1994). However, Darwish Murad et al.

(2004) did not discover a relationship between YSR Externalizing among Turkish immigrant

teenagers in the Netherlands using the same scale for parental psychopathology. Teenagers

whose parents have mental symptoms might act less aversively and more compliantly to relieve

their mother or father's symptoms, or the healthy parent may have been able to make up for the

ill parent in some way (Hops et al.,1987).

Fourth, no links between parental employment and education and externalizing issues were

discovered. The minimal variance among the SES variables in the sample may provide an
explanation for the absence of this effect. Similar findings were found in a group of low SES

Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands (Sowa H et al.,2000). The second objective was to learn

more about the relationships' gender specificity. We anticipated finding several gender-specific

relationships because Moroccan girls and boys have quite distinct roles and positions in their

families. However, we discovered the same number of gender disparities as would be

anticipated purely by chance. It appears that gender scarcely intensifies the impact of risk

variables or, in the opposite direction, hardly shields the person from their impact. This is in

line with (Moffitt et al. 2001), who came to the same conclusion as Pels D. (2003). the Pimm's

spirit. a political dandy's ideal (in Dutch). Anthos, Amsterdam found that there are weak and

insignificant sex differences in the correlations between risk variables and antisocial conduct.

Moroccans may exhibit gender variations in the amount of the factors influencing both girls'

and boys' externalizing difficulties because of inequalities in gender roles (Moffitt et al.2001),

For instance, our earlier research in Morocco revealed that adolescent girls are raised with

greater care and supervision than boys (Stevens GWJM et al., 2004). The final objective of this

study was to identify the predictor set that contributed most significantly to the forecasting of

externalizing behavior. We anticipated that the most significant associations between

externalizing issues and factors closest to the teenager would exist. Adolescents are, by

definition, most affected by the child component, which is followed by the peer and family

interaction elements. Our results supported this hypothesis, even though the relative importance

of these three variables varied depending on the reporter. Only the kid and school/peer

component had a substantial impact on the variation in teachers' reports of externalizing

behavior. Migration and contextual family factor were also significantly associated with CBCL

and YSR Externalizing. Finally, we examined whether the factors provided a unique
contribution to the prediction of externalizing problems, i.e., whether significant relations were

found between the predictor sets and externalizing problems after controlling for the other

predictor sets. Our findings revealed a unique contribution of the child, proximal family, and

school/peer factor to the level of CBCL and YSR Externalizing (Deater Deckard K et al.,1998)

revealed similar results. Moreover, a unique contribution was found for the contextual family

factor to CBCL Externalizing, and for the child factor to TRF Externalizing. Several

conclusions can be drawn from the previous. First, our findings suggest that child, school/peer,

and proximal family factors are essential in models predicting the development of externalizing

problems. The school/peer factor turned out to be as important as 576 the proximal family

factor. Second, the proximal family factor is the strongest family factor: what matters is the

interaction between parents and children. In a study on family predictors of antisocial behavior

in Dutch adolescents, similar results were found. Although it is demonstrated that the

adolescent's perception of discrimination is somewhat significant, the migration factor's

explained variance is quite modest. This does not imply, however, that migration is unrelated to

issues with externalizing, as it may be a significant factor through other causes. For instance, a

clash of values and lifestyles that affects the core family can occur as Moroccan immigrant

children adapt to the new culture more quickly than their parents do (Stevens GWJM et al.,

2004).

This could lead to regular arguments between parents and kids, which has been found to be a

primary indicator of externalizing issues. Additionally, migration may alter family structures

and roles Pels T, De Haan M (2003). Externalizing problems has also been connected to marital

conflict. There are certain limitations to the study's findings. Using a cross-sectional approach,

we were unable to look into the connections' causal directions. For instance, making the case
that engaging with peers who behave inappropriately increases the likelihood of externalizing

issues makes as much logic as making the case that engaging with peers who behave similarly

increases

the likelihood of externalizing issues. Longitudinal research is needed to test mutual influences

of the predictors and externalizing problems. Second, even while we discovered that the most

crucial indicators of externalizing issues in Moroccan immigrant teenagers are similarly crucial

in research with Western populations, we were unable to determine whether the connections

were equally strong. For instance, (Smith and Krohn Smith C, 1995) found that family

characteristics were more significant in limiting delinquency for Hispanic adolescent boys than

for African American and white American boys. In addition, (Fisher et al.,1999) findings

suggested that white American adolescents are less affected by stressful events than American

Indian adolescents. Third, we selected several child, school/ peer, family, and migration

variables that have been identified as important predictors of externalizing behavior. However,

not all-important predictors have been considered. For instance, temperament of the child is an

important predictor of externalizing behavior (Deater Deckard K et al.,1998) which has not

been assessed in the study. Finally, Moroccan parents and adolescents from two of the largest

cities in the Netherlands were interviewed. This sample might not be representative for the

entire Moroccan immigrant population in the Netherlands. However, as almost 50% of the

Moroccans live in the four largest cities in the Netherlands. (Dutch, 2003) it is not likely that

our results would differ considerably from results in the total Moroccan immigrant population.

This study offers several suggestions to prevent or overcome externalizing problems among

Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands. First, interventions should predominantly

focus on the child, school/peer, and proximal family domain. Interventions aimed at both
adolescents and parents should pay attention to the high comorbidity between externalizing and

internalizing behavior, the risk of problems at school, involvement with deviant friends, and

hanging out frequently. Parents should also be urged to keep an eye on their children's locations

and activities, to support them, and to explain the harmful effects of frequent fights between

them and their kids. Additionally, parents need to be conscious of how their relationship

dynamics affect how much their children externalize. The most significant predictors may be

used by school counsellors to spot teenagers with externalizing issues. Adolescents may be kept

from routinely hanging out and becoming connected with troubled classmates by participating

in organized after-school activities in their school or community. Finally, even though we only

measured the perceived level of discrimination, and the data cannot support any claims about

the direction of effects,

Dutch society should be aware of the potential negative effects of discrimination on the degree

of externalizing behavior in Moroccan immigrant adolescents. In addition, whereas adopting a

Muslim identity is perceived as a developmental risk by the Dutch public our findings indicate

that this is not correct. (Pels D ,2003). Using information from the National Survey of Families

and Households, connections between marital conflict, the strength of parent-child

relationships, and youth maladjustment were looked at both immediately and over time. 551

married households with children between the ages of 5 and 11 were the subject of the analyses

during Wave 1. Harsh discipline and parent-youth conflict totally at Wave 1 and slightly at

Wave 2 moderated the concurrent link between marital conflict and youth externalizing

difficulties. The concurrent association between marital conflict and internalizing problems at

both waves was mediated partially through parent-youth conflict. Stable marital conflict over a

five-year period and its link to parent-youth conflict allowed researchers to identify longitudinal
mediation effects. Results highlight areas of particularity and consistency in marital conflict

processes as kids go from middle childhood to adolescence.

The first objective of this paper was to gain insight into the predictors of externalizing problems

in Moroccan immigrant adolescents because there has been little research on the predictors of

externalizing problems in immigrant adolescent samples and Moroccan immigrant adolescents

are reported to have high levels of externalizing problems. Overall, our findings are consistent

with those of other research on the risk and protective factors of externalizing difficulties in

kids who are not immigrants. Boys are more likely than girls to experience externalizing

disorders, and there is a significant comorbidity between internalizing and externalizing

problems, according to gender differences.

Additionally, social and academic characteristics were quite significant: children who

frequently hung out with friends, had deviant friends, and experienced academic difficulties

displayed the most externalizing problems. Low levels of parental supervision, affection, and

support were also blatant risk factors, as were high levels of conflict within the family,

particularly between parents and their children. Finally, teenagers who believed Moroccans

frequently faced discrimination were at danger of externalizing their issues.

There are several conclusions that require more detail. First, peer support had little impact

on externalizing behavior. Our hypothesis is that while some peers discourage one another

from acting out, others encourage one another to act out, which prevents the peer support

effect from occurring. Second, a peculiar link between maternal support and TRF

Externalizing was discovered. Low levels of CBCL and YSR Externalizing were linked to

maternal support, whereas high levels of TRF Externalizing were. As Moroccan mothers
often act as mediators between fathers and children, and often hide their children’s

misbehavior from their husband for fear of his harsh reaction, maternal support may

contain an element of permissiveness. Mother’s permissiveness may reinforce boundless

behavior in adolescents such as violation of rules and disruptive behavior. The places other

than the home, like the school, are where this form of teenage conduct is most obvious.

Third, contrary to most other studies, parental psychopathology was scarcely associated

with teenagers' externalizing behavior. Using the same scale for parental psychopathology,

researchers in the Netherlands could not discover any correlation between YSR

Externalizing and Turkish immigrant adolescents.

Child factor Associations between child variables and externalizing behavior are well

established in literature. Girls exhibit fewer externalizing problems than boys. (Levendosky, A

et al.,2006) Levels of externalizing problems are found to vary with age and the comorbidity

between childhood internalizing and externalizing problems is considerable. Furthermore,

chronic illness is related to behavioral problems in adolescents. (Dumas et al.,2005)

According to studies, kids who grow up in chaotic environments display more externalizing

tendencies, which, when they start in the toddler and preschool years, increase the likelihood of

subsequent maladjustment. Since those mechanisms could be used as a point of intervention, it is

crucial to comprehend the mechanisms that connect household turmoil to early externalizing

tendencies. A significant indirect relationship between household chaos and child behavior

issues was found to exist through family routines (B =0.09, SE = 0.05, CI [0.01, 0.23]), general

child routines (B = 0.15, SE = 0.06, CI [0.05, 0.31]), and children's bedtime routines (B = 0.12,

SE = 0.06, CI [0.03, 0.26]). These results imply that routines and household turmoil are separate

concepts and that routines are a mechanism connecting routines and household chaos to early
behavioral issues in children. These findings suggest that routines may be a viable area of

intervention for families with young children displaying behavioral issues and chaotic

homes.We used a UK- based sample of families with young twins, to test household chaos and

child behavior problems as predictors maternal well-being.

(Deater Deckard K et al., 2009) There was an advantage of using a twin sample in that families

with twins require more organization and effort in parenting, and previous studies have used

twin samples to understand household chaos and child behavior problems (Wang Z., et al 2012)

Mothers perceiving more household chaos tended to report more depressive, stress and anxiety

related symptoms. More child behavior problems also predicted more depressive and stress

related symptoms, but it was not predictive of maternal anxiety. The results supported previous

research indicating household chaos correlates with maternal well-being (Pike A et al.,2006)

Notably, the results showed differentiation of maternal well-being in relation to child behavior

problems. This highlights the importance of studying these aspects of maternal well-being

separately. We also demonstrated the independent prediction of chaos and child behavior

problems with maternal well-being outcomes, in the context of existing literature that shows a

link between child behavior problems and chaos (Dumas JE et al., 2005). The results indicate

when chaos and child behavior problems put in the model together more chaos was a significant

predictor of all well-being variables but for child behavior problems it was depression and stress.

(Dumas JE et al.,1994)

Results demonstrated that if mothers perceive more chaos and disorganization in the home, they

may be at risk of having more depression, stress symptoms and anxiety. If they report more child
behavior problems, they may also be at risk of having more depression and stress but not

anxiety. These findings suggest that interventions focused on reducing the levels of chaos in the

home, (e.g., implementing a regular bedtime routine, inducing calm and having an organized

schedule) and/or reducing child behavior problems may also result in improved maternal well-

being. The results can also imply that child behavior problems are risk factors for poor maternal

well-being, highlighting the bi-directional influence mothers and children have on one another.

Chapter 3

Methods

Objectives

1. To find out the impact of household chaos and parental marital adjustment among children.

Hypothesis:

1. There is negative correlation between parental marital adjustment and household chaos

2. There is negative correlation between parental marital adjustment and internalizing and

externalizing problems among children

3. There is negative correlation between household chaos and internalizing and

externalizing problems among children

4. There is positive correlation between chaos between parents and internalizing and

externalizing factors of children.

 5. There will be significant difference between male and female on house hold chaos and

home management.

6. There will be significant difference on different level of income on house hold chaos and

marital adjustment.

7. There will be significant difference among different spouse occupation on house hold

chaos and marital adjustment

Operational definition:

Marital Adjustment:

Marital adjustment is operationally defined as score on scale indicating the level of marital

adjustment. Behavioral problems. The highest score will show high prevalence of behavior

problems and low score will show less behavior problems. Dyadic Adjustment Scale Spanier

(1976) was used to assess the perceived quality of subject’s marital relationship and provides

global index of marital conflict. DAS is used to measure marital adjustment that assesses such

aspect of marriage as affection, communication, satisfaction, similarity of values and global

adjustment. It also measures degree of dissatisfaction that couples are experiencing.

Chaos: Chaos is the presence of crowding, confusion, and noise as well as the lack of routines

and high unpredictability Chaos Scale (Ludwig et al.,1995) was designed to measure confusion,

disorganization, and noise in home environment. It is 15 items forced choice scale with true false

format.

Internalizing Factors:
An internalizing behavior is a behavior directed inwardly toward oneself. It is an over-controlled

and self-directed type of behavior. Internalizing behavior patterns are subtle and often go

unnoticed by parents and other adults.

Externalizing Factors:

Externalizing behavior is behavior directed outwardly toward others or the social environment. It

is characterized as an under-controlled and out-directed mode of responding 1. Rule-breaking

behaviors or acts that violate social norms such as physical aggression and defiance are examples

of externalizing behavior.

Research design:

Study was quantitative. The dependent variables are internalizing & externalizing problems with

two independent variables chaos and parental marital adjustment.

Sample:

A total number of participants in this study were (N=300) i.e., 150 couples.

Inclusion criteria:

 Age between 25-50 will be included in the sample.

 At least having two children of 6-12 years

 Individuals from primary and above educational level will be included in the sample.

 Both genders will be included in the sample.

Exclusion criteria:

 Age below 25 and above 50 will be excluded in the sample.

  Individuals below primary education will be excluded

 Only transgender will be excluded from the sample.

Demographic sheet:

The demographic information was also a factor involved in collection of following data: Age

group, gender, family status (nuclear, joint). Educational level, marriage type i.e., inter cast or

within cast . Each participant was provided with a google form questionnaire, this included

“Chaos scale” and “Dyadic Adjustment Scale”. Participants were asked to mention the

mandatory (demographic) information.

Instruments:

Questionnaires were used in the study, Chaos Scale and Dyadic Adjustment Scale.

CHAOS SCALE:

Chaos Scale was developed by Ludwig, Matheny, Phillips & Wachs in 1995.It was

measured through a 15 items confusion, hubbub, and order scale (Ludwig et al.,

1995) with true false format. The total score ranges from 0-15 and is derived by

simply summing up the responses. High score shows high level of home chaos and

vice versa. It is 15 items forced choice scale with true false format. It was designed

to measure confusion, disorganization, and noise in home environment. To offset

response set seven items related to the organization of home were written to be

reversed coded. Item no 1,2,4,7,12,14,15 will be negatively scored. A single score

is derived from the questionnaire by simple sum of responses. The total score
indicates the extent of home chaos with higher score reflecting more

disorganization, confusion, and noisy home environment.

Satisfactory reliability and validity have been reported (Matheny et al., 1995).

Validity has been reported in terms of correlation with the observed measure of

home disorganization and parenting. Cronbach’s alpha for15 items is being

reported 0.79 and 12-months test-retest stability for total CHOAS score is r = 0.74.

CHAOS scale was translated, and its psychometric properties were established.

Alpha Coefficient of combined CHAOS scale Urdu version (wives & husbands) is

0.77.

Child Problem Checklist. The final form of CPCL consists of 80 items and three

subscales are derived through factor analysis developed by Tariq and Hanif,

(2007). The Child Problems Checklist (CPCL) is an instrument designed for the

children group of age group 6-18 for identifying behaviors that are considered

“problems” by parents and teachers in Pakistani society. The sufficient reliability

and internal consistency have been found through statistical analysis. Alpha

reliability of 0.97

was found for the entire scale of CPCL. The checklist has 5-point rating scale. The

CPCL checklist consists of 3 subscales out of which only

externalizing behaviors and internalizing behaviors sub-scale will be used.

Externalizing problem sub-scale includes 35 items and Internalizing problem sub-

scale consists of 33 items. Item no 1 to 35 were included in externalizing behavior

problems subscale. Item no 33 to 68 were included in internalizing behavior

problems subscale. The score on the 50th percentile is considered as the cut-off

score for the data. Cut-off scores for CPCL subscales based on percentiles. Cut-off

scores for externalizing behavior problem is 103 and for internalizing behavior

problem is 96.

Dyadic Adjustment Scale:

Dyadic Adjustment Scale by Spanier (1976) later adapted by Naseer (2000) in

Pakistan. Adapted version has 27 items. Alpha reliability of Urdu version is 0.89 (Malik, 2004;

Naseer, 2000). It is easy to administer and has high stability. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale has

been found to have adequate test-retest reliability and construct validity. DAS was used to assess

the perceived quality of subject’s marital relationship and provides global index of marital

conflict. DAS is used to measure marital adjustment that assesses such aspect of marriage as

affection, communication, satisfaction, similarity of values and global adjustment. It also

measures degree of dissatisfaction that couples are experiencing. It originally have 32 item .

Subscales of DAS are Satisfaction (Item no 14,15,16,17,18,19,20,27), Consensus (Item no

1,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13), Cohesion (Item no 21,22,23,24,25) and Affection expression (2,4,26).

The total score is produced by summing all the items. It gives subjective impression regarding

the degree of satisfaction. Sixty-three is the cut off score of DAS. The total score range from 1 to
131 in which high score indicates the marital adjustment and low score reflect the marital

maladjustment.

Procedure:

Participants were given the required questionnaires in google form by sharing links of both forms

i.e Chaos and Dyadic Adjustment Scale .Clear instructions were mentioned in the form.

Demographic information was also mentioned i.e., age group, gender, family status (nuclear,

joint, or separated) also including the parental status (separated or divorced, single parent (death

of any parent)) and degree program. Participants were instructed to give response on each item of

all questionnaires and do not leave any item without marking. The recorded data was analyzed in

SPSS.

Chapter4

RESULTS

Table 1
Frequency and percentage of participants (N=300)
 Demographic Variable F %

Spouse gender
Male 150 50
Female 150 50
Family Income
Below 20000 40 13.3
20000-40000 20 6.7
41000-60000 120 40
Above 60000 120 40
Spouse occupation
Working lady 20 6.7
House wife 60 20.0
Businessman 60 20.0
Jobholder 140 46.7
Daily wagers 20 6.7

Table 1 shows frequency and percentage of participants with respect to spouse gender, family

income and spouse occupation. It shows frequency of peoples from age 25-50.Female (f=150,

50%) were equal in number with male (f=150,50%). More families fall in the category of family

income of above 60000 (f=120, 40%) and 40000-60000 (f=120, 40%) as compared to the

category of below 20000 (f=40,13.3%) and 20000-40000 (f=20, 6.7%). By spouse occupation

more ladies are job holder (f=140, 46.7%) as compared to House wife (f=60, 20%), Businessman

(f=60, 20%), working lady (f=20, 6.7%) and Daily wagers (f=20, 6.7%).

Table 2
 Psychometric properties of study variables (N=300)

Range

Variables N M SD α Potential Actual Skewness Kurtosis

CHAOS 300 17.44 5.31 .710 0-25 6-30 .300 1.18

DAS 300 91.80 12.85 .706 0-25 56-118 -.909 2.40

Table 2 outlines the means, standard deviations, alpha reliability, range, and level of

skewness for the CHAO and DAS. It shows that alpha reliability coefficient of CHAOS is .710

and of DAS scale is .706 which indicates that scales are reliable for present study. Level of

skewness is less than 1 which indicates that our data is normally distributed as skewness value

ranges from -1 to +1 (Field, 2009).

Table 3

Pearson Correlation among study variables (N=300)

Variables 1 2
1. CHAOS - .094*
2.DAS -
*p<.05: **p<.01

Table 3 shows Pearson correlation among study variables. Table 3 shows that CHAOS

has positive correlation with DAS.

Table 4

Mean, standard deviation and t-test for female and male of the study variable (N=300)
 Male Female 95% CL
N=(150) N=(150)
Variable Mean SD Mean SD t p LL UL Cohen’s d
CHAOS 17.25 5.04 22.96 5.98 -1.02 .308 -2.07 .657 1.031
DAS 82.72 14.43 89.25 6.21 2.08 ..038 .192 .777 0.586

Table 4 shows findings of independent t-test that was applied to determine the significance of

differences between CHAOS and DAS with respect to gender. It indicates that there is no

statistically significant difference between males and females on the scores of CHAOS and DAS

scale .

Table 5
Mean, standard deviation and F value for income on study variable (N=300)

Below20000 21000-40000 41000-60000 Above60000

N=(40) N=(20) N=(120) N(120)
Variables M SD M SD M SD M SD F ᶯ2 Post hoc
CHAOS 19.05 6.70 21.90 2.93 16.46 4.35 17.14 5.31 7.90*** 0.07 1<2>3<4
DAS 99.00 5.06 98.00 .000 96.16 10.8 84.0 13.5 33.1*** 0.25 1>2<3>4
***p< .001, **p< .01, *p< .05

Table 5 shows the mean, standard deviation and F value for income on study variables including

CHAOS and DAS . Results indicate slight mean differences on ,CHAOS with {F (7.90}, and

DAS with {F (33.1)}.

Table 6
 Mean, standard deviation and F value for spouse occupation on study variable (N=300)

Workinglad housewife businessman Jobholder Dailywagers

N(20) N=(60) N=(60) N(140) N(20)
Variabl M SD M SD M SD M SD M SD F ᶯ2 Post hoc
e
CHAO 17.80 0.89 18.01 6.90 15.53 3.85 17.88 5.47 18.0 3.89 2.48* 0.03 1<2>3<4
S
DAS 90.0 .000 89.00 7.17 81.33 18.2 97.42 10.4 94.0 .000 22.7*** 0.23 1>2>3<4

***p< .001, **p< .01, *p< .05

Table 6 shows that there is a statistically significant difference of CHOS and DAS among

different levels of spouse occupation….

Table 7 DAS

Variables β ∆R2 F

CHAOS .94*** .09 2.67*

***p < .001, **p < .01, *p < .05

Table 07 shows the Regression is computed with house hold chaos as predictor

variables and parental marital adjustment as outcome variable. The ∆R 2 value 0f .09 indicate that

9% variance in the dependent variable can be accounted for, by the predictors with F (1, 298) =

2.67, p < .05. The findings revealed house hold chaos positively predicted parental marital

adjustment (β = .94, p < .001).

Chapter 05

Discussion
The results are as follows; sample consisted of 300 people i.e., 150 couples. It shows frequency

of peoples from age 25-50. Table shows that couples fall in literate category. Moreover,

marriage types are mentioned which states that people get married in same cast. The Mean of the

CHAOS Scale questionnaire was17.44 and Standard deviation was 5.31. Reliability determines

that the result of an instrument be stable and consistent. Reliability of a scale is determined by

the Cronbach’s Alpha co-efficient, which is one of the popular criteria of reliability in

quantitative studies. The value .710 was obtained and this is an indication of strong stability and

reliability of scale. The Mean of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale questionnaire was 91.80 and

Standard deviation was 12.85-. Reliability determines that the result of an instrument be stable

and consistent. Reliability of a scale is determined by the Cronbach’s Alpha co-efficient, which

is one of the popular criteria of reliability in quantitative studies. The value .706 was obtained

and this is an indication of strong stability and reliability of scale . Result reflects the co-relation

of CHAOS Scale and Dyadic Adjustment Scale is found to be a positive and is significant (.094)

among spouses and children. Because it accepts our hypothesis i.e., there is positive correlation

between chaos between parents and internalizing and externalizing factors of children. ).

According to previous research published in 22 nd April 2020 there was consistent evidence

for significant correlations between household chaos and adverse outcomes across all

seven categories in diverse populations with respect to age, disease status, and socio-

economic status (SES).

Furthermore, in our sample we included marriage types i.e interacts and within cast which can

also be one of the factor of household chaos.

Result also indicates that there is also difference on different level of income on house hold

chaos and marital adjustment. According to MORIAH E. THOMASON study Although mothers

in current sample reported relatively low level of house hold chaos, on average, those reporting

comparatively higher level of chaos also reported that their young children exhibited higher level

of internalizing and externalizing problems.

There is also significant difference among different spouse occupation on house hold chaos and

marital adjustment. According to(Stevens GWJM et al., 2003) study Moroccan immigrant

teenagers are said to exhibit significant levels of externalizing problems, despite the fact that

little research has been done on the factors that predict externalizing problems in immigrant

adolescent samples.

The results determine the differences between CHAOS and DAS with respect to gender. It

indicates that there is no statistically significant difference between males and females on the

scores of CHAOS and DAS scale .According to (Hops et al.,1987) Boys are more likely than

girls to suffer externalizing disorders, and there is a significant comorbidity between

internalizing and externalizing issues, according to gender differences.

To conclude household chaos presented a significant explanatory power to its impact on

parents and their children internalizing and externalizing factors and can be adopted by the

population to reduce conflicts to form a healthy society.

 Conclusion

A wide range of literature on the concept of household chaos was found in our review. We

discovered that chaotic home environments seem to be associated with a variety of negative

child, parent, and family outcomes; they may also, at least in part, describe the association

between low SES and negative outcomes; they also tend to undermine positive parenting

practices and exacerbate negative ones. Future studies are required to determine whether
household chaos has been rising recently, what factors may have contributed to the hypothesized

rise in household chaos, whether newer mobile media devices increase the likelihood that people

will experience household chaos, and, if so, how to measure this in a new or updated

measurement tool. Programs should be designed to not only examine how family chaos may be

effectively decreased, but also to analyze if a reduction in household chaos translates into

improved outcomes. The impacts of the concept on outcomes also need to be investigated in

other cultural contexts. We suggest doing systematic reviews of outcomes of interest and the

mechanisms through which home chaos affects child, parent, and family outcomes before

making suggestions to guide behavior.

Limitations:

Despite the strengths of our novel study, we acknowledge some limitations. The current sample

was mothers requires replication across different family types. Additionally, the sample was

highly educated, 71.3 % of the mothers reported having an undergraduate or higher degree, so

the results cannot be generalized to all populations. Future studies should investigate whether the
same pattern of results is apparent not only for parents of twin children, but also more

representative samples in terms of education levels. Moreover, single parents were excluded in

our sample future researchers can cover them as well because they are more likely to have the

effects of chaos in the household since they are the only one who holds the burden of his/her

family and its quiet stressing to be alone and managing children as well.

Suggestions:

After the in-depth knowledge of household chaos and the impact which it imprints on the

children internalizing and externalizing factors. We got to know how important it is to educate

young couple about parenting to develop a sense of responsibility in them so that they could

realize their conversions of frustration is impacting on grater level i.e., there child performance
slows down, they blame themselves of the conflict, become less confident, transfer the same

vibes on others, relation with peers got effected by the household chaos. Hence, child

internalizing and externalizing factors are disturbed.

Chapter 6

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Appendix A

INFORMED CONSENT

We are students from University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir University, Psychology

department. We are going to conduct research on household chaos and parental marital
adjustment: predictor of internalizing and externalizing problems among children .

For this we need consent form participants. The data is collected for study purposes and will

remain confidential. Kindly sign below if you agree.

Student name

Student name sign: ______________

Student name Supervisor

Mam Asma

Lecturer, department of

psychology

UAJK

Appendix B

DEMOGRAPHIC SHEET

Participant information
Name: ____________________________________________________________

Age: ______________________________________________________________

Gender: ___________________________________________________________

Family system (nuclear, joint). __________________________________________

Educational level, ____________________

Marriage type i.e., inter cast or within cast .__________________

Appendix C

The Chaos, Order and Hubbub Scale (Matheny et al., 1995)

Instructions: Below are statements about the environment in your home. After each statement,
indicate how much you agree that the statement is true of your home by circling the number

you think is best.

1 = Definitely Untrue

2 = Somewhat Untrue

3 = Neither Untrue nor True

4 = Somewhat True

5 = Definitely True

1. We are usually able to stay on top of things. 1 2 3 4 5

2. It’s a real zoo in our home. 1 2 3 4 5

3. You can’t hear yourself think in our home. 1 2 3 4 5

4. There is usually a television turned on

somewhere in our home.

1 2 3 4 5

5. The atmosphere in our home is calm. 1 2 3 4 5

6. We have a regular morning routine at home. 1 2 3 4 5

 Appendix D

Dyadic Adjustment Scale