Parental Predivorce Relations and Offspring Postdivorce Well‐Being

This 2‐part study uses national longitudinal interview data from parents and their adult children to examine the way in which predivorce marital conflict influences the impact of divorce on children. In the 1st study, we find that the dissolution of low‐conflict marriages appears to have negative effects on offspring's lives, whereas the dissolution of high‐conflict marriages appears to have beneficial effects. The dissolution of low‐conflict marriages is associated with the quality of children's intimate relationships, social support from friends and relatives, and general psychological well‐being. The 2nd study considers how parents in low‐conflict marriages that end in divorce differ from other parents before divorce. We find that low‐conflict parents who divorce are less integrated into the community, have fewer impediments to divorce, have more favorable attitudes toward divorce, are more predisposed to engage in risky behavior, and are less likely to have experienced a parental divorce.     

The Emergence of a Specific Kind of Individualization Habitus Among Divorced Women

Previous research has consistently found that divorce is associated with psychological distress. This study expands existing research by considering age, education, employment, income, length of divorce, number of children, and economic hardship as predictors of postdivorce psychological distress among divorced women in Iran. This study examines 800 divorced women in Iran 30 to 48 years old who had been divorced for no more than 2 years. Results demonstrated that education, number of children, and economic hardship together predict 63.6% of the variance in psychological distress among divorced women. Economic hardship was found to be the strongest contributor. Recommendations for researchers and implications for clinicians are discussed.     

The Effects of Divorce on Children: Mothers’ Perspectives in UAE

This study examined the effects of divorce on children in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A structured questionnaire was conducted with 1,742 divorced women and SPSS was used for quantitative data analysis. The aim of this quantitative analysis was to determine the social, psychological, health, and schooling effects of divorce on children (ages 1–18) in the UAE. The study confirmed that children are adversely affected. The study found that divorce was associated with a higher incidence of several impacts of divorce such as economic hardship, lack of concentration in school, sleeping disorders, and challenge and stubbornness. This is the first study in the UAE exploring the social, psychological, health, and schooling effects of divorce on children and to gain an understanding of the unknown aspects of the divorce phenomenon in the region.     

Prevention of Depressive Symptoms in Preadolescent Children of Divorce

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy of an intervention program (the Depression Prevention Program for Children), which was successful overall in preventing depressive symptoms in 5th and 6th grade children, for a subset of those children-those whose parents have divorced. The 12-week program taught cognitive and social problem solving skills to children in group sessions conducted in their middle schools. There were 59 children in the treatment group-thirty-one (31) children from intact families and 28 children whose parents were divorced. The children completed the Children's Depression Inventory at pretest, posttest, and at 6-month intervals after completion for a 2-year period. The program was effective in preventing depressive symptoms in both groups. However, there was a significant group × time interaction, indicating that for children of divorce, the effectiveness may begin to diminish over time. These findings are discussed in terms of the various factors which might influence the response of children of divorce to this and other interventions.     

The Transmission of Marital Instability Across Generations: Relationship Skills or Commitment to Marriage?

We used national, longitudinal data from 2 generations to assess 2 explanations for the intergenerational transmission of marital instability, one based on relationship skills and the other based on marital commitment. Parental divorce approximately doubled the odds that offspring would see their own marriages end in divorce. Offspring with maritally distressed parents who remained continuously married did not have an elevated risk of divorce. Divorce was most likely to be transmitted across generations if parents reported a low, rather than a high, level of discord prior to marital dissolution. These results, combined with other findings from the study, suggest that offspring with divorced parents have an elevated risk of seeing their own marriages end in divorce because they hold a comparatively weak commitment to the norm of lifelong marriage.     

Single Mothers with Custody Following Divorce

The experience of being a single mother with custody following divorce is influenced by many variables across several levels of interaction, such as age of mother and child, potential for remarriage, coping skills, social networks and income changes. Cross-sectional studies have examined additional variables such as time since divorce and level of family religiosity and subsequent impact on individual well-being. Whereas most studies took a cate- gorical approach to examining the experience of divorce, a few refreshing studies were based on an ecological systems model. As divorce also involves building a new life, longitudinal research pro- vides the best picture of how divorced women accomplish this task. Long-term research clearly points to the fact that divorce is an event whose impact is individual and very often life long. Researchers have provided valuable information to build meaningful programs of intervention for divorced mothers. Perhaps the biggest challenge is to design flexible programs which can grow and change with the needs of the divorced mother. Future research will be most beneficial when it addresses the divorced mother family as a healthy family unit.     

Socioeconomic,sociodemographic and attitudinal correlates of the tempo of divorce

The association between sociodemographic, demographic, and attitudinal measures and the timing or tempo of marital dissolution over a 14-year time span is examined. Separation is considered equivalent to divorce. Early and late divorce are differentiated by whether the event occurred before or after the average number of years married prior to divorce. Data were obtained on husbands and wives within childbearing years (up to 39 years) in the 1st years of the 1st marriage. A random stratified sample of 610 couples was drawn from records of marriages in a midwestern county between 1972-77. Reinterviews were conducted on 544 couples in April 1985. socioeconomic variables included educational attainment, occupational prestige, wife's employment status, wife's future work plans, husband's attitude to wife's future work plans, total family income, and level of satisfaction with current financial status. Demographic variables are age at marriage, number of children in 1985, marital duration, and desired family size. Attitudinal items were religiosity and gender role orientations (traditionalism, modernism, egalitarianism). Exposure to divorce was not equitably distributed for the 108 who divorced, but this was not statistically significant. The results indicate that those divorced earlier were wives who worked outside the home, worked at more prestigious jobs, planned to be employed throughout married life, and whose father had a higher level of educational attainment. This finding is not consistent with prior research which has shown that favorable socioeconomic conditions lower the probability of divorce. The timing of divorce was affected by the presence of children. Those married at younger ages divorced earlier and couples with children delayed divorcing longer than couples without children. These findings were consistent with earlier research. Catholic wives delayed divorce longer than non-Catholic wives. Males lower in sexual satisfaction divorced earlier. Divorce was postponed longer for husbands with traditional values and wives who had higher scores on egalitarianism. Wives with scores on modernism had earlier divorces than wives scoring lower on modernism. The tempo of divorce was in multiple classification analysis predicted best by wife's employment status and number of children. Cross-classification was not possible.     

Correlates of Psychosocial Adjustment in Adolescents From Divorced Families

The study was designed to identify the factors which predict psychological adjustment among 15 to 18-year-old adolescents whose parents have divorced. Psychosocial adjustment was assessed by the Youth Self Report (Achenbach, 1978, 1991). Predictors included the type of custody arrangement, the psychological adjustment of the custodial parent, factors affecting the adolescent's relationship with the non-custodial parent, demographic characteristics, stressful life events during the two years following the divorce, availability of social support, and family adaptability and cohesion. New York City high school students from divorced (n = 221) and intact (n = 215) families completed the survey instrument. Results indicated that the adjustment of adolescents from divorced families was related positively to the psychological adjustment of the custodial parent, the availability of social support, and family adaptability and cohesion. Adolescent adjustment was related negatively to the degree to which the parents displayed anger or physical abuse before and after the separation, and to the number of stressful life changes following the divorce. The factors predicting the adjustment of adolescents from intact families were similar.     

Effects of Divorce on Children's Perceptions of Parent Behavior and Locus of Control

This study examined the effects of divorce on later latency children from a nonclinical population. Perceptions of parent behavior and locus of control were assessed for 68 middle class children aged 9 to 12 years. Results showed a general absence of differences between children from divorced and intact families in their perceptions of parent behavior and locus of control. There were no significant differences between children from divorced and intact families on the three factors of the Children's Reports of Parent Behavior Inventory (CRPBI) (Acceptance-Rejection, Psychological Control-Psychological Autonomy, and Firm Control-Lax Control), 17 of 18 scales of the CRPBI, and the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control scale. However, the Possessiveness scale of the CRPBI indicated that children of divorce perceived both their mothers and fathers as significantly more possessive than did children from intact families. The results showed that parental divorce did not impact strongly on children's perceptions of parents and locus of control and suggest minimal adverse effects of divorce, at least for children from the volunteer nonclinical population studied.     

Correlates and Consequences of Divorce in an Iranian City

Abstract

This papcr cxatnines the recent trends in divorcc in Iran and analyzes data about the determinants and consequenccs of divorce drawn from a divorce survey in a large urban center. Rcvicw of trends in divorce for the last three decades in Iran suggests that the divorce rate has been changing in response to social and legal changes and eight years of war. Urban background, education, work status of women, and religiosity are significantly related to divorce. Women who are divorced, comparcd to married women, suffer economically and expcricnce more psychological problems. Children of divorced women show indications of a higher level of etnotional disturbance and delinquency.     

Differences Between College Students from Divorced and Intact Families

We examined five hundred college students from intact and divorced families along several measures of adjustment. Further, comparisons within the divorce group were made across gender and number of years since the divorce with the covariates of parents' marital happiness prior to the divorce, remarriage, and who the student lived with after the divorce statistically controlled. Measures of adjustment included sexual behavior, attitudes toward marriage, depression, self-esteem, and general psychological functioning (pathology, anxiety, expression). Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that students from divorced families had significantly more sexual partners and more negative attitudes toward marriage than students from intact families. In addition, a significantly higher percentage of women from divorced families had had sexual intercourse as compared to women from intact families. Finally, women with parents that divorced within the past year were significantly more expressive than women with parents that divorced more than five years ago and more expressive than men with parents that had divorced within the past five years. The results are discussed in terms of the resolution of intimacy issues for college students with divorced parents and implications are drawn.     

Differences Between High School Students from Intact and Divorced Families

Previous research on the effects of divorce has focused primarily on young children. In the present study, 110 high school students from divorced or intact families were administered a variety of questionnaires to ascertain any differences between students from the two family situations. The questionnaires focused on the following areas: beliefs about divorce, family environment, interparental con- flict, and self-depiction. No significant differences were found be- tween the divorced and intact groups. These results suggest that teens from divorced families are as well-adjusted as teens from intact fami- lies. A number of correlations were found to be significant, implying that it is the family environment, not the process of divorce, that influences children's adjustment.     

Remarriage Between Divorced People with Children from Previous Marriages: A Proposal for Preparation for Remarriage*

This paper discusses the special attributes of the legally reconstituted families formed when divorced persons who have children from their previous marriages remarry. The remarriage family is identified as a high risk group for which society has not as yet established norms. Interviews with 70 couples suggest that the stress for couples and families involved in divorce and remarriage would be prevented or reduced through remarriage preparation courses.     

Relationship-Specific Cognitions and Family-of-Origin Divorce and Abuse

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between relationship-specific cognitions and family-of-origin divorce, psychological abuse, and physical aggression. College students from divorced (N=46) and intact (N= 66) families completed questionnaires regarding their family-of-origin victimization, witnessing, and perpetration experiences as well as their relationship cognitions. A series of 2 (divorce vs. intact) by 3 severity level (none, psychological, physical) MANOVAS were conducted to assess the relationships among divorce, witnessing, perpetration, and victimization experiences with mother and father, and current relationship cognitions (assumptions, standards, and expectancies). Subjects from divorced homes reported significantly lower marriage-efficacy than subjects from intact homes. Subjects who reported physical victimization from fathers had significantly lower marriage-efficacy and lower self-efficacy than non-physically-victimized subjects. A trend was found whereby subjects who psychologically perpetrated against their mothers endorsed more dysfunctional relationship assumptions and standards and lower efficacy expectancies of partners than did those who reported no psychological or physical perpetratation against their mothers. Experiences of witnessing parental psychological and physical abuse were not related to dysfunctional relationship cognitions. These findings are discussed within an intergenerational transmission of divorce and violence framework.     

An Empirically Based Framework for Content Selection and Management in Divorce Education Programs

Contemporary research has shown that divorce education programs are becoming mandated or recommended in numerous states throughout the nation. Cooccurring with the popularity of these programs is the variation in content of divorce education programs. The focus of this project was to systematically explore the research literature on factors related to divorce adjustment and identify findings to be used in content selection and development for divorce education programs. The divorce-stress-adjustment perspective was utilized to frame the divorce process affecting both children and adults. A systematic literature review resulted in identification of 103 published studies that fit the project criteria. Selected research findings identified in the literature review process were organized according to a conceptual framework designed to categorize content in a tiered approach useful for selecting and managing content in divorce education programs. Implications of the project findings for content identification in divorce education, program development, and program evaluation are explored.     

Women's Education,Marital Violence,and Divorce: A Social Exchange Perspective

Drawing on social exchange theories, the authors hypothesized that educated women are more likely than uneducated women to leave violent marriages and suggested that this pattern offsets the negative education–divorce association commonly found in the United States. They tested these hypotheses using 2 waves of young adult data on 914 married women from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The evidence suggests that the negative relationship between women's education and divorce is weaker when marriages involve abuse than when they do not. The authors observed a similar pattern when they examined the association of women's proportional earnings and divorce, controlling for education. Supplementary analyses suggested that marital satisfaction explains some of the association among women's resources, victimization, and divorce but that marital violence continues to be a significant moderator of the education–divorce association. In sum, education appears to benefit women by both maintaining stable marriages and dissolving violent ones.     

The Effect of Divorce on Personal and Familial Images

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of divorce on personal and familial images of adolescents by comparing the image construction of adolescents from intact families with that of adolescents from divorced families. The study consisted of a probability sample of 957 Jewish Israeli youths between the ages of 13-18. Findings indicate that parental divorce has a moderate negative impact on children's construction of personal and familial images as compared to that of children in intact families. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

How a Divorcee’s Sexual Life Is Socially Constructed and Understood in the Iranian Culture

Sexual well-being is an important factor in postdivorce adjustment and presents various challenges for divorced women in Iran. With an alarming number of marriages ending in divorce in Iran, the postdivorce sexuality adjustment process has become a major concern. Meanings attached to the sexuality of a divorcee necessitate different adjustment and coping strategies among women. How these meanings are generated, negotiated, and modified in Iranian contexts has yet to be explored. We used a grounded theory approach to analyze the extensive, rich data obtained through sustained interaction with the informants as well as through in-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions. “Sociosexual problems” was found to be one of the main domains in our study. Participants experienced a negative impact from divorce on their sexual lives, including sexual interactions. Social isolation and social exclusion resulted from the avoidance of stereotypic interactions and were often a consequence of difficulties with concealment of sexual needs due to stigma. Women discussed a range of negative experiences arising in response to their sexual needs in postdivorce life. The analysis revealed the complexities of gendered postdivorce sexual trajectories. Based on the findings, articulating a sexual health model specific for divorced women seems important.     

A Comparison of High‐ and Low‐Distress Marriages That End in Divorce

We used data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Survey of Families and Households to study high‐ and low‐distress marriages that end in divorce. A cluster analysis of 509 couples who divorced between waves revealed that about half were in high‐distress relationships and the rest in low‐distress relationships. These 2 groups were not artifacts of the timing of the interview or of measurement error. Irrespective of marital quality, couples who divorced shared many risk characteristics, such as having divorced parents. Individuals in high‐distress marriages reported increases in happiness following divorce, whereas those in low‐distress marriages reported declines in happiness. These results suggest two basic motivations to divorce: poor relationship quality and a weak commitment to marriage.     

The Effect of Children's Family Type on Teachers' Stereotypes

The main purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' stereotypic perceptions of the effects of different family types on the functioning of children. Seventy-six Israeli teachers were asked to evaluate the academic, social and emotional levels of functioning of a fictitious fifth grade boy who was variously described to them as being from an intact, remarried, divorced or conflicted family. Three main results were obtained. First, teachers expected the child from the intact family to function better academically, socially, and emotionally than the child from the conflicted family. Second, teachers expected similar levels of academic, social, and emotional functioning in a case of both tne child of divorced parents and the child from the remarried family. Third, three dimensions differentiated beween teachers' expectations when the child was described as coming from an intact, remarried or conflicted family but did not do so as regards the child of divorced parents. These results are discussed in the context of teacher-student interactions and their potential to trigger a process of self-fulfilling prophecy. The findings are also considered in reference to the doubtful validity of studies in which teachers' evaluations are used as measures of children's adjustment to the divorce or remarriage of their parents.