<p>People with kids are more likely to have conflicts with their in-laws as compared to couples who are childless, a study has found.<br /><br />Researchers at Academy of Finland studied how being a parent is linked to conflicts between family generations.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The team found that people reported higher conflict occurrence with their own parents than with their in-laws.<br /><br />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.<br />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.<br /><br />Previous studies have shown that in-laws become more "kin-like" to each other when a grandchild unites kin lineages.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Childcare provided by grandparents is of great help to parents of young children, but may also be a source of conflicts.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />The study was published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science.</p>
<p>People with kids are more likely to have conflicts with their in-laws as compared to couples who are childless, a study has found.<br /><br />Researchers at Academy of Finland studied how being a parent is linked to conflicts between family generations.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The team found that people reported higher conflict occurrence with their own parents than with their in-laws.<br /><br />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.<br />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.<br /><br />Previous studies have shown that in-laws become more "kin-like" to each other when a grandchild unites kin lineages.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Childcare provided by grandparents is of great help to parents of young children, but may also be a source of conflicts.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />The study was published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science.</p>