Impact of Parental Divorce on Willingness of Young Adults to Provide Care for Parents in the Future

Abstract

While it is known that parental divorce disrupts feelings of attachment to noncustodial parents, less is known about the impacts of parental divorce on filial obligation to care for parents as they age. Young adults (89 women, 53 men) rated willingness to provide care if their mother or father were to experience a major disability in the future. Such willingness to care was higher among participants whose parents remained married than those whose parents had divorced or separated. Parental divorce/separation reduced willingness to care for fathers. This difference was fully explained by reduced attachment to fathers. The best predictors of willingness to care included both sex and adherence to the traditional female gender role. Attachment to the parent added to willingness to care for that parent. Results highlight the importance of encouraging, wherever possible, continued attachment to the noncustodial parent among children whose parents separate or divorce.