Divorce Grief and Personal Adjustment in Divorced Persons Who Remarry or Remain Single

Remarriage has been associated with divorce adjustment, though indications are that other factors such as gender, time since divorce and the presence of children may serve a role in mitigating this effect. This study hypothesized that there would be no significant differences on measures of grief or adjustment between those who have remarried and those who have remained single. The 114 subjects between the ages of 25-35 included males without live-in children, females with children, and females without children. They had been divorced either 6-18 months or 19-36 months. The Fisher Divorce Adjustment Scale and the Personal Orientation Inventory were used as dependent measures. Results indicated no significant differences among any of the 12 groups. Current trends in divorce and remarriage within the groups studied are discussed in light of these results.     

Divorce Grief and Personal Adjustment in Divorced Persons Who Remarry or Remain Single

Remarriage has been associated with divorce adjustment, though indications are that other factors such as gender, time since divorce and the presence of children may serve a role in mitigating this effect. This study hypothesized that there would be no significant differences on measures of grief or adjustment between those who have remarried and those who have remained single. The 114 subjects between the ages of 25-35 included males without live-in children, females with children, and females without children. They had been divorced either 6-18 months or 19-36 months. The Fisher Divorce Adjustment Scale and the Personal Orientation Inventory were used as dependent measures. Results indicated no significant differences among any of the 12 groups. Current trends in divorce and remarriage within the groups studied are discussed in light of these results.     

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.     

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.     

Gender and Age Differences in Child Adjustment to Parental Separation

Abstract

The present study examined gender and age differences in adjustment among children whose parents have separated. Measures designed specifically to assess family functioning during the divorce process (the Divorce Adjustment Inventory-Revised, and Child Divorce Adjustment Inventory), along with a measure of self-esteem and interviews with children, provide an in-depth exploration of the experience of families during the transitional period of separation. Results indicate that (1) parents of girls reported higher resolution of the separation, (2) high self-esteem for girls was mediated by residential parents' high socioeconomic status, (3) older children exhibited higher adjustment than younger children, and (4) father-headed families indicated higher adjustment before and after separation. Using a model of divorce as a process, results are discussed in relation to findings from studies of post-divorce and pre-separation families to provide a more complete picture of the divorce experience and child adjustment to that experience.     

Correlates of Self-Esteem Among College Students Offspring from Divorced Families:

This research examines whether factors found to be relevant to children's adjustment following parental divorce do indeed have a significant relationship to the self-esteem of young adult college students who have experienced parental divorce during childhood or adolescence. These factors include gender, social class, age at the time of parental divorce, remarriage of the custodial mother, the amount of contact between the non-residential father and his offspring, and feelings of closeness between the non-residential father and his offspring. The results of a multiple regression analysis indicate that contact with the non-residential father has a significant impact on the self-esteem of female offspring, whereas the age at the time of parental divorce is the most sigmticant factor contributing to the self-esteem of male offspring. Results also indicate there is no significant difference in self-esteem levels among male and female offspring from divorced families.     

AFTER DIVORCE

This paper reports the findings of a study designed to consider personality variables related to postdivorce adjustment. It was hypothesized that the more-or-less enduring personal characteristics of individuals are as important. and possibly more so, than variables such as age, sex, and length of time divorced. 58 females and 31 males completed the Blair Divorce Adjustment Inventory, the 16 PF, and a Personal Data Sheet. The top 25% of the sample in adjustment scores and the lowest 25% were selected for comparison. t-tests were used to determine significance of differences of the mean scores for each of the scales of the 16 PF. Significant differences were found between the Best Adjusted and Poorest Adjusted groups on 9 dimensions of personality. Persons who had achieved the best adjustment lo divorce scored significantly higher on measures of dominance1 assertiveness, self-assurance, intelligence, creativitylimagination. social boldness, liberalism, self-sufficiency. ego strength and tranquillity. The hypothesis that basic personality Factors are important in postdivorce adjustment was supported by the results of this study. These results contribute to our knowledge about the complicated process of sociallpsychological adjustment to the crisis of divorce.     

Parental Divorce and First-Year Students' Transition to University: The Need to Include Baseline Data and Gender

This research examines parental divorce and first-year students' transition to university. Incoming students (N = 2,724) to six diverse universities completed questionnaires in August, before university, and again in November and March. Initial baseline measures indicated that females of divorced parents reported more depressive symptoms than females of intact families, whereas males of divorced parents reported lower levels of perceived stress than those of intact families. These findings remained over the first year. Regarding adjustment to university, males with divorced parents reported the best academic adjustment, and females with divorced parents were most vulnerable regarding personal-emotional adjustment.     

Sex Differences in Initiation of and Adjustment to Divorce

Men and women for this study were randomly chosen from courthouse divorce files. After initial contact by mail and by phone, those who agreed to participate were mailed questionnaires developed to assess adjustment to divorce and to obtain information about the nature of the divorce. Forty-four percent of those who received questionnaires completed and returned the assessment; the total sample consisted of 133 subjects. A sex difference in decision to separate was found, with both men and women reporting that the decision had been the woman's. Women showed better adjustment than men on a divorce adjustment scale. In addition, women reported significantly fewer suicidal feelings than males. However, males had significantly lower factor scores on the Profile of Mood States for tension and on the Semantic Differential for stability. Other Profile of Mood States and Semantic Differential measures did not reveal significant sex differences.     

Validity and Reliability of the Spanish Translation of the Attitudes Towards Divorce Scale

The set of studies described in this article analyzed the psychometric properties of the Attitudes Towards Divorce Scale (ATDS; Kinnaird & Gerrard, 1986) in a group of 964 Spanish emerging adults between 18 and 30 years old. Factorial validity, concurrent validity, internal reliability, and measurement invariance across males and females were examined. Two factors accounted for 50% of the total variance: positive and negative attitudes toward divorce. This 2-factor structure fit adequately in males and females. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was good (Cronbach’s α = .74), and its convergent validity was supported by a significant positive correlation with the Attitudes Towards Marriage Scale and gender differences in attitudes toward divorce. Overall, the results suggest that the AD, the Spanish version of the ATDS, is a reliable and valid instrument that could be used to measure Spanish emerging adults’ attitudes toward divorce.     

After the Divorce

The present study compares postdivorce adjustment factors among older, long-married persons with similar familial factors among younger divorced persons. Data collected from personal interviews indicate that older divorced persons are not devastated by their divorce. Although these two groups do not differ in their overall scores of emotional health as measures by the General Well-Being Scale, within certain categories the older persons appear to be emotionally healthier. Statistically significant differences between the two samples include: importance of family closeness; conflict in relationships; and forewarning of the divorce from family members. There are also differences in the familial factors that predict well-being for the two age groups. Professionals intervening at all system levels should be sensitive to age differences and incorporate familial factors that ameliorate postdivorce adjustment. Implications for practice with older divorced persons include strengthening parent/adult child relationships and creatively designing programs at macro and micro levels to decrease family conflict. With younger divorced persons, conflict mediation with the family following divorce is necessary.     

Motivational Style,Length of Residence,Voluntariness, and Gender as Influences on Adjustment to Long Term Care

Abstract

Seventy-five institutionalized older adults (Mage = 79.08, SD=9.73, 25 males, 50 females) varying by length of residence, gender, and motivational style (self determined vs. motivational) were queried to explore the impact of these variables on indicators of adjustment, i.e., health, life satisfaction, desired and expected control, self-esteem, ADLs, and positive/negative affect. MANCOVAs (controlling for social desirability) indicated self-determined motivational style to positively impact adjustment, as well as to interact (p <.05) with gender in this respect. Length of residence and gender each impacted ADLs, and motivational style also affected both desired/expected control and self-esteem, where those with higher self determined motivational styles had expectations for and desirability of control. Voluntariness of the decision to move generally positively impacted adjustment, but its impact was moderated by motivational style. Thus, persons who vary along motivational style, gender, voluntariness, and length of residence are likely to function in distinct ways in adjusting to being institutionalized.     

Impact of Postdivorce Sibling Structure on Adolescent Adjustment to Divorce

A sample (N = 222) of middle school, high school, and college students were surveyed with regard to their adjustment to their parents’ divorces in specific domains, including coparenting, financial strain, and overall adjustment. With time since the divorce covaried, youth living with half-siblings, stepsiblings, or both (HSS) rated their experiences consistently more positively than youth living with full biological siblings only (FBS). HSS youth reported stronger perceptions that life has gotten better, parents are working together to raise them, and there are no lingering financial effects. There were no main effects for age, but an interaction of sibling structure and gender found male adolescents in the FBS group sometimes had more negative ratings than any of the other groups. Our findings contrast with prior studies suggesting that HSS youth do not adjust as well as FBS youth.     

Coping and Adjustment in Male and Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the effects of childhood sexual abuse for male and female survivors, characteristics of the abuse experience, current coping strategies, and current psychological adjustment. Nineteen male and 59 female adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, recruited from both local and national support groups, completed a background questionnaire, dispositional coping inventories measuring current and retrospective abuse-specific coping styles, and measures of current psychological adjustment. In response to sexual abuse experienced during childhood, avoidance coping emerged as the most frequently used strategy by both sexes. Although there were no gender differences in current use of problem-focused and avoidance strategies, males related more use of acceptance whereas females utilized more emotion-focused coping. In general* females reported significantly greater trauma-related distress than males, including higher levels of anxiety, depression, and post-trauma symptoms.     

The effect of marital dissolution on the labour supply of males and females: Evidence from Canada

The literature on divorce and labour supply generally analyzes standard labour supply measures such as annual hours worked. We include hours per day and days per week as two new dimensions of work time, and use a 3-year panel which allows us to address the effects of divorce on five time dimensions simultaneously. For males, we find that divorce can result in short-term labour supply changes as high as 10–20% of pre-divorce labour supply levels, depending on the time dimension and comparator group. For females, our data do not reveal any significant changes in labour supply.     

Adjustment Differences in the Divorced and the Redivorced

The increasing rate of redivorce makes it necessary to compare adjustment differences and needs of the redivorced and the once-divorced. This study utilizes a mail survey of a singles' organization in Dayton, Ohio to make this comparison. The hypothesis that those experiencing support resources, activities, attachments, and fairness will make positive adjustments to divorce was supported for the divorced female and, on the negative side, for the redivorced male. The findings indicate that the combination of divorce experience, gender roles and the hypothesized elements is important for divorce adjustment.     

Gender Convergence and Delinquency*

Theory about the relationship of gender roles to delinquency illustrates the taken-for-granted assumption that as role expectations of people become more alike, their behavior becomes more similar. This paper tests the hypothesis that delinquency of androgynous and undifferentiated males and females is more similar in frequency than that of traditional males and females. Self-reported delinquency and self-ratings on scales of traditionally feminine and traditionally masculine expectations provide the data for this research. The analysis reveals that, as predicted, androgynous and undifferentiated males and females report more similar frequencies of delinquent behavior than do traditionally masculine males and traditionally feminine females. Undifferentiated respondents report the highest levels of delinquency among females, but the reverse pattern tends to hold for males. These patterns are analyzed and their importance for theory of gender and crime is suggested.     

The Consequences of Divorce for Adults and Children

I use a divorce‐stress‐adjustment perspective to summarize and organize the empirical literature on the consequences of divorce for adults and children. My review draws on research in the 1990s to answer five questions: How do individuals from married and divorced families differ in well‐being? Are these differences due to divorce or to selection? Do these differences reflect a temporary crisis to which most people gradually adapt or stable life strains that persist more or less indefinitely? What factors mediate the effects of divorce on individual adjustment? And finally, what are the moderators (protective factors) that account for individual variability in adjustment to divorce? In general, the accumulated research suggests that marital dissolution has the potential to create considerable turmoil in people's lives. But people vary greatly in their reactions. Divorce benefits some individuals, leads others to experience temporary decrements in well‐being, and forces others on a downward trajectory from which they might never recover fully. Understanding the contingencies under which divorce leads to these diverse outcomes is a priority for future research.     

Physical,sexual and psychological abuse in high school dating relationships: Prevalence rates and self-esteem issues

The present study examined the rates of victimization by physical, sexual and psychological abuse in adolescent dating relationships, with self-esteem being explored as a mediating variable. Subjects included 257 students from a coed, ethnically diverse, religiously affiliated high school. Information was obtained using a self-report questionnaire on teenage dating behaviors. Of the 114 male and 118 female subjects who had dating experience, 59% had been victimized at least once in some past or current dating relationship by physical violence, 96% had experienced some form of psychological maltreatment and 15% had been forced to engage in sexual activity. Significantly more males than females reported experiencing physical abuse overall. Significantly more males than females experienced acts of moderate physical abuse, while there was no significant gender difference in the experience of acts of severe physical abuse. Thirteen percent of the subjects stated they had remained in a physically abusive relationship at one time, with females being more likely to remain than males. Self-esteem was not a factor in the level of physical abuse sustained in dating relationships, nor was there a significant difference in the levels of self-esteem between subjects who remained in, terminated, or never were involved in, physically abusive dating relationships. For all subjects, self-esteem negatively correlated with the level of psychological maltreatment sustained in dating relationships, but separate analysis by gender found the correlation was significant only for female subjects.     

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.