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.     

Predictors of Substance Use and Mental Health of Children of Divorce

Abstract

This short-term longitudinal study examined psycho-social influences on substance use and mental health among children of divorced parents. The sample consisted of ethnically diverse fifth and sixth grade students, and compared children of divorced parents (CODPs; N = 176), who were an average of four years post-divorce, with children of married parents (COMPs; N = 213) who had never divorced. CODPs reported more life stress, less problem-focused coping, and more substance-using friends and family members than COMPs. Further, these variables were significantly related to CODPs' greater reported substance use, aggressive behavior, and depression than COMPs cross-sectionally, and longitudinally, four months later. The results suggest the importance of including both substance use and mental health outcomes in preventive interventions for CODPs.     

Families With Young Children: A Review of Research in the 1990s

Research conducted in the past decade on families with young children concentrated on 5 broad topics: (a) the transition to parenthood; (b) the importance of maternal sensitivity for children's attachment security and subsequent adjustment and social competence; (c) the effectiveness of particular parenting styles and practices; (d) interparental, familial, and broader societal factors influencing parenting behaviors and child adjustment; and (e) the impact of family structure and household composition on children's well‐being. Our review documents substantial diversity in family structures, parenting arrangements, and childrearing values and practices both within and across ethnic and racial groups. Collectively, the evidence suggests that in most families with young children, parents and children seem to be doing well. We conclude that substantial work is required to expand the study of families with young children beyond mother‐child dyads in White, middle‐class, two‐parent, first‐marriage families.     

Relocation,Parent Conflict,and Domestic Violence: Independent Risk Factors for Children of Divorce

SUMMARY

We performed several re-analyses of data presented in Braver, Ellman, and Fabricius (2003) to examine whether their findings that parental relocation after divorce was associated with negative long-term outcomes in their grown children could be due to pre-existing levels of parent conflict and domestic violence. Conflict and violence might have caused parents to relocate, and might have caused the negative outcomes. Evidence from analyses of covariance, controlling for levels of conflict and violence (as reported by the grown children), confirmed that relocation was associated with negative outcomes over and above the associations of conflict and violence with negative outcomes. These new findings support the original recommendation of Braver et al. that “courts should give greater weight to the child's separate interests in deciding such [relocation] cases” (p. 206). Additionally, there was little indication that moves reduced levels of conflict, but that finding is tentative.     

Urban and Rural Differences in the Provision of Health Insurance Coverage for Children of Divorce

Abstract

Using data from divorce case records in New Hampshire this study examined urban and rural differences in the provision of health insurance coverage for children of divorce. In the overall sample of cases (N= 474) results from a chi-square test found rural children (N= 123) to be nearly twice as likely to be uninsured than urban children (N= 351). Results from the logistic regression in the urban county found fathers' and mothers' incomes to increase the log odds of children having access to health insurance. Mothers' employment also increased the log odds of children being insured. In the rural county fathers' earnings and mothers' employment increased the log odds of children having access to health insurance. Pre-school age (0-5) decreased the log odds of children being insured. Implications for family practitioners in rural areas are discussed.     

The Relationship Between Mandatory Divorce Education and Level of Post-Divorce Parental Conflict

Abstract

This study assessed the association between conflict between divorced parents and their attendance or nonattendance at a divorce education program. A telephone interview was done with 160 individuals who participated in the education program and 59 individuals who did not. Both males and females in the nonattendance group had higher conflict scores than the attendance group. Attendance at the divorce education class was found to be associated with whether a subject will return to court or not. Those who attended were less likely to return to court related to the divorce.     

The Impact of Marital Quality,Divorce, and Remarriage on the Relationships Between Parents and Their Children

SUMMARY

This paper examines data from a panel study on the long-term effects of parental marital quality and divorce on relationships between parents and adult children. Attention is focused on whether these effects vary by age and gender of child as well as the theoretical explanations linking mother-father and parent-child relations. The relational quality between adult children (18-31 years old) and both mothers and fathers is examined from the perspective of both children and parents. Among intact families, parental marital quality has long-term effects on father-child relations, regardless of gender, whereas short-term effects are characteristic of mother-child relations and only perceived by mothers. Further, although divorce without remarriage hurts sons' relationships with both fathers and mothers, it hurts father-daughter relations even more. Mother-daughter bonds appear to be improved by divorce, with declines in income explaining a large portion of the tendency for divorce to affect father-child relations.     

A Prospective Study of Behavioural Disturbance in Children Who Subsequently Experience Parental Divorce

This study examines changes in children's behaviour as a function of parental divorce. As part of a large scale general population study on the effects of marital disharmony on children, 139 children from the general population were followed up from a previous study. These children and their mothers were interviewed first between 1979 and 1982 (time 1) and then followed up between 1984 and 1986 (time 2). Between the time 1 interview and the time 2 interview, 16 children's parents had separated or divorced. This paper deals with the mothers' report of changes in the behaviour of these children between time 1 and time 2 as a function of their parents' divorce, and compares this with changes in children's behaviour whose parents live in disharmonious (N = 40) or harmonious homes (N = 50). Children's reports of their own behaviour at time 2 are also presented. The data show that children in disharmonious homes and children whose parents subsequently divorce show higher levels of disturbance than children in harmonious homes. Children whose parents subsequently divorce show their disturbance prior to the divorce. Children's coping strategies in response to divorce were also investigated and and an association was found between children's behavioural problems and (a) self-blame and (b) not having friends whose parents had divorced.     

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Social Support on the Psychological Adjustment of Divorced Mothers

Social support has been frequently hypothesized as a significant moderating influence on the adverse consequences of marital disruption. This exploratory longitudinal study examined the impact of social support on the psychological adjustment of divorced mothers. Divorced mothers provided social network information and psychological adjustment profiles at two months and six months following divorce. Results indicate that there were major changes in the structural and interactional characteristics of the participants' social networks over time. Some types of social support were related to well-being and several structural and interactional characteristics of the social network were related to adjustment.     

Effects of a Mid- to Late-Life Parental Divorce on Adult Children

There is a dearth of research on whether and how a later-life parental divorce influences the lives of adult children. Through qualitative interviews with 40 adult children of divorce (ACD)—those whose parents divorced after they were 18 years of age—ACD were asked to discuss their experience of the parental divorce. There were commonalities experienced by the ACD. However, only half of the ACD were initially affected negatively by their parents’ divorce, whereas the other half did not have a tough time initially. Factors including being “put in the middle,” along with strained parent–child relationships, were found to have the potential to affect one’s experience.     

Examining the Reliability and Validity of the Fisher Divorce Adjustment Scale: The Persian Version

This study was an attempt to determine the factor structure, reliability, validity, and adaptation of the Fisher Divorce Adjustment Scale (FDAS) for Iranian divorced individuals. The primary rationale for this study was the lack of such an instrument in an Iranian context to help researchers and therapists determine postdivorce adjustment and distinguish those in need of receiving psychological help. Participants of this study were 486 individuals (49.5% men, 50.5% women) who were divorced and were selected from the available population. Participants were asked to complete a sociodemographic questionnaire, the FDAS (Fisher, 1978), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ; Ghanbarnejad & Turki, 2013). The results showed that the internal consistency of FDAS using Cronbach’s alpha was .93 and the split-half coefficient was .89, indicating fine consistency. Also, the internal consistency of FDAS subscales measuring self-worth, disentanglement from the ex-partner, anger, grief, social trust, and social self-worth was .81, .86, .89, .88, .86, and .69, respectively, using Cronbach’s alpha. Data analysis shows an adequate convergent validity with the SWLS and GHQ. It can be concluded that the FDAS has an acceptable factor structure, reliability, and validity, and can be used in Iran and other Persian-speaking countries.     

Marital Outcomes and Consideration of Divorce Among Orthodox Jews After Signing a Religious Prenuptial Agreement to Facilitate Future Divorce

This study examined marital satisfaction, marital adjustment, and consideration of divorce among Orthodox Jews in North America (N = 2,652). These marital outcomes were compared for individuals who signed or did not sign a religious prenuptial agreement that facilitates a woman’s future ability to receive a religious divorce from her husband. Results indicated a higher level of marital satisfaction among those who signed the religious prenuptial agreement, and no significant difference in marital adjustment or tendency to consider divorce between groups of individuals who signed or did not sign the religious prenuptial agreement.     

Marital Separation/Divorce

A review of the literature was conducted to determine the current knowledge base regarding the impact of marital separation or divorce on the individual. The review focused on the literature in psychiatry, psychology, and social work, but also included related disciplines, such as family law. The findings indicate a focusing of research questions since the early 1970's, particularly in defining the process of divorce and differential impact of the various stages across gender. However, some gaps still exist within the literature, pointing toward additional research questions, such as in the area of treatment, and the impact of initiator status.     

Young Women's Life Stories and Accounts of Parental Divorce

ABSTRACT

This article presents the results of an analysis of 7 young women's life story accounts of the experience of parental separation during adolescence. The young women took part in the Life Stories and Family Transitions Study conducted in New Zealand. The qualitative methodology used in this study allowed for an investigation of the ways that participants made sense of their experiences of parental separation within the life story. The narratives of parental separation were extracted from the interviews and analyzed for form and content. The analysis of form found that the stories progressed through a number of stages, titled “The Early Years,” “The Deteriorating Parental Relationship,” “The Climax,” and “The Aftermath.” A number of themes emerged from a process of interpretive thematic analysis. These themes were often associated with different stages of the story of separation, and were titled “Putting Together the Pieces,” “The Struggling Self,” and “Self-Determination and Competency.” As participants put together the stories of separation, they considered their parents' perspectives and integrated these with their own experiences of family events, developing their own personal theories. The stories of struggle, and of personal strength and self-determination, emerge from the analysis.     

Adult Children of Divorce

Female and male adult children of divorce (ACDs) provided retrospective ratings of their relationships with their moth- ers and fathers prior to and after parental separation, and also eva- luated their current relationships with each parent. Pre-, post-separa- tion and current relationships with mothers were more positively evaluated than those with fathers. Post-separation ratings of relation- ships with each parent were lower than those obtained on pre-separa- tion scales, with some recovery evidenced on current relationship scales. The critical importance of parental cooperation, particularly for ACDs' relationships with their fathers, was especially indicated by the present findings. A positive relationship with one parent was also found to have contributed in a negative fashion to ACDs' posi- tive evaluations of their relationshiv with their other oarent follow- ing separation. Research utilizing 'a longitudinal apl;roach is sug- gested in order to further examine the differential qualities of ACDs' ongoing relationships with each of their parents.     

A Meta-analysis of Parental Satisfaction,Adjustment, and Conflict in Joint Custody and Sole Custody Following Divorce

The literature on parental satisfaction, adjustment, and relitigation in joint custody (JC) versus sole custody (SC) following divorce is reviewed. Findings are summarized for custody differences in parental demographics; time spent with father; the father–child relationship; parental satisfaction with custody; parental adjustment, including self-esteem and parenting stress or burden; conflict between ex-spouses; and relitigation. JC was associated with equivalent or better outcomes than SC in the father–child relationship, parenting stress, parental conflict and relitigation, and overall adjustment. Satisfaction with custody is greatest for both mothers and fathers when they have SC, less in JC, and least for noncustodial parents. Future researchers need larger, more representative samples followed over time.     

Relation Between Parental Divorce and Adjustment in College Students

The role of parental divorce on the adjustment of emerging adults has been understudied and mostly limited to first-year college students. This study sought to examine the relation between parental divorce and adjustment in college students to identify differences in students from intact and divorced families while also examining gender and age differences. Results indicated no adjustment differences as a whole or by gender for intact and divorced families. However, students who were older when their parents divorced had higher levels of self-esteem than those whose parents divorced when they were younger. Implications of the study are discussed.     

Adult Children of Divorce Revisited

Abstract

The prevalence of families experiencing divorce has lead to an increase in studies examining the consequences of parental divorce for children and also for young adults. The literature, especially focusing on young adults, is characterized with inconsistent findings. The purpose of this study was to explore these young adults' accounts, their attitudes toward cohabitation, marriage, and divorce, their dating behavior, and trust and commitment issues for them. Results based on sixty in-depth interviews indicated that parental conflict, quality of parents' new relationship(s), and parents' supportiveness during and after divorce were important factors affecting these respondents' attitudes and behavior. Age at which divorce occurred seemed to affect trust and commitment the most.     

Significant Family Dynamics Related to Postdivorce Adjustment in Parents and Children

ABSTRACT

This study concentrates on the postdivorce adjustment of parents and children in families with shared parenting time arrangements. Thirty divorcing parents with children aged 12 to 59 months old were interviewed using a semistructured telephone interview regarding their early experiences in the divorce process. Findings showed that work–family balance issues were related to postdivorce parental adjustment for mothers. Interparental hostility was related to child alienation and paternal overnight stays. Length of time since physical separation was related to number of overnight stays. These results shed light on the early experiences of families with young children going through the divorce process.