The Role of Social Participation in Postseparation and Postdivorce Adjustment

This study examines the role of social participation in postseparation and postdivorce adjustment. The subjects, 277 members of Parents with-out Partners chapters in two metropolitan areas, were administered a 273-item questionnaire containing the Postdivorce Problems and Stress Scale especially constructed for this research. It was found that higher levels of social participation were strongly related to lower stress. The following questions were also explored: (a) When do people participate more? (b) When is social participation particularly important for alleviating stress? and (c) Why do older males participate more than younger males and all females?