Experience Of Divorce Research Articles

Childhood Antecedents of Interpersonal Problems in Young Adult Children of Divorce

To examine the long-term effects of parental divorce on interpersonal problems and to identify specific childhood pre- and postdivorce experiences that might be associated with these problems. Scores on the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems in a university student population were compared for 125 subjects from divorced families, subgrouped by specific divorce experiences, and 467 subjects from intact families. Young adult children of divorce reported more problems with submission and overcontrol. When specific divorce experiences were examined, problems with intimacy emerged in the children of divorce. Mother never remarrying, multiple maternal remarriage, and high levels of pre- and postseparation parental discord were associated with more interpersonal problems. These data support the hypothesis that parental divorce is associated with interpersonal problems in young adulthood. The findings also provide evidence that specific childhood pre- and postdivorce experiences are associated with later young adult interpersonal problems, including problems with intimacy.

Single Mothers with Custody Following Divorce

The experience of being a single mother with custody following divorce is influenced by many variables across several levels of interaction, such as age of mother and child, potential for remarriage, coping skills, social networks and income changes. Cross-sectional studies have examined additional variables such as time since divorce and level of family religiosity and subsequent impact on individual well-being. Whereas most studies took a cate- gorical approach to examining the experience of divorce, a few refreshing studies were based on an ecological systems model. As divorce also involves building a new life, longitudinal research pro- vides the best picture of how divorced women accomplish this task. Long-term research clearly points to the fact that divorce is an event whose impact is individual and very often life long. Researchers have provided valuable information to build meaningful programs of intervention for divorced mothers. Perhaps the biggest challenge is to design flexible programs which...

Reconsidering the Effects of Marital Disruption

This article identifies predivorce individual and family characteristics that explain a portion of the effect of parental separation on the long-term well-being of children. Using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Children (NSC), the authors discuss how much of the relationship between a separation and measures of adult well-being (including educational and economic attainment, patterns of family formation, delinquency, and psychological well-being) is due to selectivity of parents into more fragile marriages and to family conflict that often precedes the physical departure of a parent from the household. The results of the study indicate that divorce is associated with some outcomes, although much of its putative effect diminishes when predivorce factors are accounted for. The authors suggest that researchers give more careful consideration to the processes leading up to a separation as part of the divorce experience of children.

WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT AS A GIFT OR BURDEN?

Based on interviews with a random sample of white women who are in a second marriage, this article examines changes in women's marital power across marriage, divorce, and remarriage. In some marriages, women's market work is not considered a resource and hence does not have a positive effect on marital power, particularly when husbands are employed in low-status occupations. Conversely, women who are domestically oriented do not necessarily suffer a loss of power. Hochschild's concept of “economy of gratitude” illuminates the way that marital power is affected by the meanings couples assign to women's paid and unpaid labor. Furthermore, women's previous market work and marital and divorce experiences affect the meaning of their paid and unpaid labor upon remarriage, as well as their desire for each.

Young Adults' Relations with Parents: The Influence of Recent Parental Divorce

The divorce rate in the United States declined in the 1980s after nearly 2 decades of unprecedented growth (National Center for Health Statistics, 1992). This was generally good news, although the level at which rates recently stabilized far exceeds those of the early 1960s. Somewhat overshadowed by these recent, welcomed developments, however, is the continued increase in divorce rates for older couples in long-term marriages. Over 20% of divorces today involve couples married over 15 years (National Center for Health Statistics, 1991). This trend demands new attention to the divorce experience of individuals and families who are older and further along in the family life cycle. Of major interest in the literature on younger divorcing couples and their families is the impact of marital disruption on parent-child relations. The issue is significant because parent-child relations are a central feature of family functioning, and are predictive of the immediate and long-term psychological and behavioral adjustment of children (see Amato & Keith, 1991; Hess & Camara, 1979), youth (Peterson & Zill, 1986), and adults (Amato & Booth, 1991; Umberson, 1992) from both intact and divorced families. Parent-child affective relations and contact also are mediating factors in the relatively low levels of support divorced parents provide their children once they reach adulthood (White, 1992). Because of the common practice of awarding sole physical custody of children to one parent, the typical divorce involving a young couple generally is characterized by marked changes in parent-child relations. Such is the case not only for noncustodial parents whose interaction with the child is often disrupted due to physical separation, but also for custodial parents who typically assume the daily responsibilities of childrearing on their own. While the patterns of association and affect that exist between children and divorced parents are well-documented in the literature, what is not clear is whether parent-child relations are similarly affected when parental divorce occurs to adult offspring who are not subject to custody decisions. This issue is the focus of the present study. BACKGROUND POSTDIVORCE CONTACT WITH PARENTS Children's contact with their noncustodial parent is profoundly altered following divorce. Two studies of nationally representative samples of children under age 18 indicate that fewer than one-third of children of divorce have the stereotypical pattern of weekly visitation with their nonresident parent. Rather, a sizeable share--anywhere from 13% to 51% depending on the gender of the noncustodial parent and the particular study--have rare, if any, contact with the absent parent, especially when that parent is the father (Furstenberg, Peterson, Nord, & Zill, 1983; Seltzer & Bianchi, 1988). Studies of smaller, more localized samples pose more optimistic findings regarding postdivorce intergenerational contact (Hetherington, Cox, & Cox, 1978; Maccoby & Mnookin, 1992; Wallerstein & Kelly, 1975). Yet, these studies generally focus on children experiencing fairly recent parental divorce, and thereby fail to capture the precipitous decline in interaction with the absent parent that typically occurs over the long term (Furstenberg et al., 1983; Seltzer & Bianchi, 1988). For example, over the 3 years of Maccoby and Mnookin's (1992) California study, the proportion of children not regularly seeing their absent fathers climbed from about 25% to 40%, whereas the same comparison for nonresident mothers actually showed a decline over this period. According to a recent meta-analysis of the divorce literature, reduced paternal contact is one of the most consistent and pronounced effects of divorce on children (Amato & Keith, 1991). Furthermore, data from a large, representative sample of adults also indicate that reduced paternal contact is one of the strongest protracted effects of parental divorce during childhood, especially for daughters, and regardless of which parent maintained custody of the children. …

Parental Divorce/Separation and the Motivational Characteristics and Educational Aspirations of African American University Students

The widespread prevalence of marital separation and divorce in American society demands that more definitive answers be provided for questions related to their influence on children. It is also critical that we attempt to better understand the impact of these life events on the developmental patterns of late adolescents and young adults because it is during this period that the shaping of an individual's early adult roles occurs and his or her values and beliefs emerge (Lopez, 1987, 1991). Conclusive research is lacking concerning whether divorce/separation effects produce temporary childhood stressors or have longer-term implications that may be different for adulthood (Goetting, 1981); however, Hillard (1984) studied the experience of parental divorce and reactions to it among college students and reported results that were different than for children and adolescents. Divorce-related childhood conflicts that have been suppressed are often reactivated by the important real-life choices faced by the college student, who must, at this stage of his or her life, work on understanding feelings that may have long been buried. College students face such important demands as establishing adequate psychological separation from parents; forming intimate, nonfamilial relationships; and adjusting to the academic and social demands of college life. They must also make preliminary decisions regarding work, marriage, and family (Lopez, 1987). Throughout this period, academic motives and aspirations are important variables related to the development of attitudes toward college, involvement in campus activities, and academic success (Ramist, 1981; Tinto, 1987). The manifestation of these influences in persons whose parents are divorced or separated is not well understood.

Gender and the Divorce Experience

The object of this study is to examine the extent to which males and females are converging in their divorce experience. We consider the issue of the convergence by examining both quantitative and qualitative data gathered from a survey questionnaire containing 189 close-ended items and 3 open-ended items administered to 268 persons in Indianapolis. The divorce expericnce is conceptualized along four dimensions: (1) lifestyle, (2) attitude toward married life, (3) life after divorce, and (4) adjustment to divorce. We demonstrate in the quantitative analysis that there is a weak to moderate difference in three of four dimensions between the male and female experience of marital breakup. There is only a demonstrable convergence in the views of males and females in the fourth dimension, adjustment to divorce. The qualitative section examines responses to the open-ended question, What seems to be the best thing that has happened after your divorce? While about half of the response categories show similariti...

Parental Divorce, Family Conflict and Friendship Networks

This study examines the relationship between parental divorce, family conflict and characteristics of the friendship network. It also evaluates the contributions of family and network characteristics to the prediction of friendship satisfaction and loneliness. College students from divorced ( n = 113) and intact families ( n = 96) reported on the friendship network characteristics (size, affective experiences and supportive behaviors), family conflict, friendship satisfaction and loneliness. The results indicate that the experience of parental divorce has limited effect on the characteristics and functioning of the friendship network. The more important developmental experience is that of family conflict since higher levels of family conflict appear to compromise network size and the affective quality of the friendships and to heighten the experience of loneliness. The pattern of results also supports a mediational model of the impact of family experiences on friendship satisfaction. This study demonstrates the importance of considering both past familial experiences and the characteristics of the network in order to understand the current functioning of close personal relationships.

A divorce transition model.

A comprehensive model of divorce experience can provide a useful framework for organizing available information, for incorporating research results, and for planning therapeutic interventions with divorcing clients. The concept that the experience of divorce can be thought of as a cluster of specific small divorces is combined with transition theory to form such a model. Examples of application for practice are provided.

Women and Mid-life Divorce: Some Practice Issues

Women who divorce during middle age face age-specific stresses, including loss of long-held social position, the possibility of overdependence on young adult children, a shrinking remarriage pool, socially denigrated body changes, and unfair labor market conditions. In assisting these women, social workers need to focus initially on grief and mourning. However, the overall treatment should emphasize changing maladaptive behavior and adverse environmental conditions. Relevant approaches include structured educational group treatment, task assignment, cognitive restructuring of maladaptive self-beliefs, reframing of the divorce experience as a challenge to growth, family treatment involving inperson contact with young adult children, and advocacy to end age discrimination in the hiring and wages of middle-aged women.

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.

Divorce for Women After Midlife

In spite of widespread interest in both aging and divorce, relatively little research has joined these topics. This study used data from the U.S. Census, Vital Statistics, and Current Population Survey to determine current divorce patterns for women aged 40+, project marriage and divorce experiences of future cohorts of elderly women, and consider the socioeconomic correlates of divorce for middle-aged and older women. Given current marriage, divorce, and widowhood rates, the findings indicate a marked decline in the proportion of future elderly women who will be married or widowed, and a dramatic increase in the proportion who will be divorced. Further, the data show that the socioeconomic well-being of divorcées is significantly below that of widowed or married women.

Divorce, Custody, and Visitation:

This paper discusses children's perceptions of the divorce experience. Specifically, it illuminates children's perceptions of divorce, custody, and visitation. Custody and visitation arrangements have been made on the basis of what is believed to be in the best interests of the child. However, the viewpoint of the child is seldom considered in decisions concerning custody and access. Moreover, a negligible amount of empirical research has explored the child's interpretation of custody and visitation. This paper is an attempt to redress this imbalance. Findings based on in-depth interviews with 40 children and teenagers reveal a preference for the post-divorce family structure and more flexible visitation arrangements. Moreover, the feasibility of father and joint-custody is addressed.

The influence of divorce on coping in adolescence

The present study explored the relations between family status and coping processes in adolescence. Given the inconsistent findings with regard to the divorce experience, our intent was to determine if coping strategies endorsed by adolescents are related to family status. Further, appraisals of stressfulness, controllability, and perceived outcome of stressful situations were examined in relation to family status and coping strategies endorsed. Adolescents of divorced parents more frequently endorsed theoretically less mature, defensive coping strategies. Sex differences were noted in the intact group, while males and females in the divorce group were more alike in their coping responses. Appraisal variables were differentially related to coping behaviors in each group.

The female adolescent's unconscious experience of parental divorce∗

The female adolescent's unconscious experience of parental divorce∗

Towards a Model for Co-working in Family Conciliation

SUMMARY This article surveys the present state of co-working in the practice of those independent family conciliation services affiliated to the National Family Conciliation Council. It proposes that a model of co-working is needed that is specifically tailored to conciliation practice. It sets out progress towards such a model in a particular agency—the Swindon Family Conciliation Service. It develops a theoretical base for this model from the concepts of 'content' and 'process' which it links with the 'underlying' and 'substantive' issues brought up by separating and divorcing couples for resolution. It draws these ideas from writings about divorce experience and negotiation procedures. It then presents a particular case, with an extract from an actual interview in which the model is used, and introduces a diagrammatic format for analysing conciliation processes in terms of the model proposed. The primary aim of independent out-of-court family conciliation services, as stated in the extended Code of Practice of the National Family Conciliation Council is to: 'Help couples involved in separation and divorce reduce the area or intensity of conflict between them and to work towards reaching agreements especially in disputes concerning their children'.

Children's experience of divorce

SUMMARY. Until very recently, little has been known about children's personal experiences of parental separation and divorce. Interviews with children from a representative sample of divorced families showed that they lacked information, that they suffered more distress than their parents realised, that their satisfaction with access was directly related to the speed with which it was arranged, and that relationships with custodial parents' new partners were similar to their relationships with absent parents

The Go‐Between — Strategic Therapy with Teenagers in Separated Families*

The adolescent's experience of divorce needs to be understood within a developmental and systemic framework. Problematic or symptomatic behaviour in teenagers from separated families often reflects on the family's difficulty in managing the transition to a new and different family organisation. The type of problem or symptom presented is shaped partly by the developmental characteristics of the adolescent period, as well as being indicative of unresolved problems within the broader family system. Problem resolution can often require the involvement of both separated parents and their children in a conjoint interview, in which case a strategic family therapy approach can be particularly useful. A strategic approach offers the therapist clear guidelines regarding the focus and process of the interview, and assists the therapist to be in charge whilst remaining neutral in the sense of not allying more with one side or another. Case illustrations are included of a strategic approach with teenagers and their separated families.

The Relationship between Marital Dissolution and Suicide: The Canadian Case

A multivariate methodology is applied to test hypothesis that provinces with high levels of divorce experience increased rates of suicide. Aggregate data for Canadas provinces and territories for 1971 and 1978 provide strong support for this prediction thus indicating similarity in patterns with the United The author employs the following control variables in a multiple regression analysis: percentage of population with university education percentage Roman Catholic the interprovince immigration rate and the provincial marriage rate. The results are compared to previous findings for the United States. (EXCERPT)

Exploring spiritual dimensions: Toward a hermeneutic of divorce

While the divorce experience can confront people with brokenness, limits, sinfulness, and changing concepts of meaning, it can also challenge them to move to new places, to choose life in a new way. Moving through this process not only allows a person to come to terms with various aspects of the divorce in a psychological sense, but also to see the movement of God within the suffering, healing, and the emergence of new life. This essay touches on various issues which emerge in the stages of death-gestation-rebirth and how they may ultimately act to strengthen the foundation of faith.