Couples with kids have more conflicts with in-laws: study

People with kids are more likely to have conflicts with their in-laws as compared to couples who are childless, a study has found.

Researchers at Academy of Finland studied how being a parent is linked to conflicts between family generations.

They used survey data from Finland with over 1,200 respondents. They studied conflicts that couples reported having with their own parents and their in-laws.

The team found that people reported higher conflict occurrence with their own parents than with their in-laws.

Compared to childless couples, couples with children were as likely to report conflicts with their own parents. However, they were more likely to report conflicts with their parents- in-law, researchers said.
The results took into account how frequently family members were in contact with each other and how emotionally close they felt, as well as other sociodemographic factors.

Previous studies have shown that in-laws become more "kin-like" to each other when a grandchild unites kin lineages.

Treating an in-law almost as biological kin can make the adults involved feel closer to each other and help each other more, what has been called a "kinship premium."

The study also found evidence of a "kinship penalty." As in-laws become more kin-like through the presence of a grandchild, their mutual conflicts increase, researchers said.

Childcare provided by grandparents is of great help to parents of young children, but may also be a source of conflicts.

"Daughters-in-law were more likely to report conflicts when their mother-in-law provided more grandchild care. This indicates that the increase in conflicts between in-laws are related to grandchild care," said Mirkka Danielsbacka, researcher at Academy of Finland.

The study was published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science.