Abstract: A number of studies suggest that there is close relationship between marital conflict and problem behaviors in children. There have been various ideas proposed about the pathways linking marital conflict to problem behaviors in children. Four main theoretical frameworks, including theory of social learning, ideas of conflict in family system disruption, the cognitivecontextual framework and the emotional security hypothesis which have emerged in this field were introduced. The shortcomings and advantages of the frameworks were analyzed, and then some conclusions about the relationship between marital conflict and problem behaviors in children were drawn, such as the ideas of system and ecology, objective-subjective interaction, emphasis on both cognition and emotion.

Key words: marital conflict, problem behavior, cognitive-contextual framework, emotional security hypothesis