Parental Divorce and Perceptions of Past Interparental Conflict

Abstract

This study assesses the communication of young adults in relation to parental divorce and past interparental conflict. Results indicate that parental divorce is predictive of poorer reported intimate communication while perceived interparental conflict is predictive of poorer reported non-intimate communication, especially for females. Further analyses of specific conflict dimensions reveal that intensity of interparental conflict was associated with females' non-intimate communication while poor conflict resolution was related to both areas of communication for males. Results have implications for therapeutic settings, marriage and divorce education, and future research.