Relationship between interparental functioning and adolescents' level of Machiavellianism: A multi-perspective approach

- Are interparental functioning and adolescent Machiavellianism related?
- Adolescents and families with adolescents participated in two self-report studies.
- Boys' Machiavellianism correlated with perceived interparental conflict.
- Boys' Machiavellianism correlated with poorer quality coparenting.
- Male vulnerability and distinct pathways models were used for discussion.

Childrearing antecedents of Machiavellianism have been investigated, finding that cold, rejecting, and neglecting parenting is associated with Machiavellianism. However, there is a paucity of research on Machiavellianism and family functioning that is suggested to be a stronger predictor of children's adjustment than parenting. In two cross-sectional, self-report studies with 266 adolescents (115 boys) and 98 families raising adolescents (51 boys), we investigated the relationship between adolescent Machiavellianism and interparental functioning. We found that some aspects of perceived interparental conflict and poor quality coparenting were associated with higher levels of Machiavellianism in boys. The association between interparental discord and Machiavellianism has been discussed with respect to previous studies on family functioning, child maladjustment, and Machiavellianism. The selective relationship between measured indices of interparental functioning and Machiavellianism in boys has been discussed using the male vulnerability hypothesis and the distinct pathways model.