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Exposure to verbal conflict can help children handle stressful situations later in life

Study authors Lindsey Aloia and Denise Solomon says the results offer a new perspective on how to study and understand conflict.

By Brooks Hays

COLLEGE STATION, Pa., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Did your Thanksgivings always turn into a politically-charged shouting match? Did your sibling rivalries regularly feature intense squabbling over the TV remote, last piece or pizza or access to dad's car? If so, you may be better equipped to handle stressful conflicts as an adult.

A new study suggests children exposed to intense family verbal conflict are better at dealing with stressors later in life. As they say, practice makes perfect.

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Researchers at Rollins College and Pennsylvania State University arrived at this revelation after testing the hormonal response of couples who had just argued. Through a series experiments -- in which couples were asked to discuss an area of conflict -- researchers established a predictable, positive correlation between the intensity of the verbal exchange and the increase in the cortisol levels. Cortisol is a steroidal hormone produced by the body in moments of stress.

The correlations was no surprise. The revelation came when researchers looked at the pre-argument interviews conducted with study participants. Those who acknowledged significant exposure to intense verbal conflict growing up were more likely to register a smaller uptick in cortisol levels.

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Of course, the benefit of lower cortisol levels may be far outweighed by the negative outcomes associated with exposure to family conflict -- like depression, distress and anxiety. But study authors Lindsey Aloia and Denise Solomon say the results offer a new perspective on how to study and understand conflict.

"Conflict experiences can be beneficial, by alleviating tension and avoiding conflict escalation, reducing communication apprehension, and contributing to closeness within the relationship," Aloia, a communications professor at Rollins, said in a press release. "Given the diversity of outcomes associated with interpersonal conflict, efforts to understand variation in the experienced negativity of conflict experiences are extremely important in helping people navigate these interactions."

The work of Aloia and Solomon was published this week in the journal Human Communication Research.

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