Research on Divorce: Continuing Trends and New Developments

“These findings are consistent with evidence in the sociological literature that depression and marital stress predict divorce (Amato 2010; Wade and Pevalin 2004).”

“…(Grych, Harold, & Miles, 2003; Shelton & Harold, 2008), such that improvements in child behavior often followed the dissolution of high-conflict marriages, whereas children whose parents remained in high conflict relationships demonstrated poorer outcomes (Amato, 2010; Amato & Afifi, 2006).”

“A variety of stressors have been associated with increased divorce risk, spanning economic, structural, cultural, and circumstantial factors (Amato, 2010).”

“Marital separation and divorce are among life’s most stressful experiences, and these events confer risk for poor outcomes in mental and physical health outcomes (Amato, 2010; Sbarra, Law, & Portley, 2011).”

“…developmental context for all individuals, yet the landscape of the family in the United States has undergone significant shifts over the last several decades, including rises in the rates of divorce, remarriage, cohabitation, and nonmarital childbearing (Amato, 2010; Cherlin, 2010; Sweeney, 2010).”

“Prior research documents that parents who marry younger, are African American, have lower levels of education, and have a lower family income are more likely to divorce (Amato, 2010; Bramlett & Mosher, 2002; Teachman, 2002).”

“…and protection processes shape parenting, parent-child relationships, availability of social support, organization of the home, and family time use in ways that are advantageous to children (Amato 2010; Foster and Kalil 2007; Gibson-Davis and Gassman-Pines 2010; McLanahan and Sandefur 1994).”

“As such, focus has shifted toward understanding the factors that account for variation in children’s long-term adjustment following parental divorce (Amato, 2010; Lansford, 2009).”

“These include the following: parental educational underachievement (Amato, 2010; Lyngstad & Jalovaara, 2010; Ono, 2009), lower family socioeconomic status (Feijten & van Ham, 2008; Gadalla, 2008; South, Crowder, & Trent, 1998), impaired mental health Conflict of interest statement: None declared”

“Divorce has been the topic of extensive research during the past decades (for overview articles see e.g., Amato 2010; Amato and James 2010; Härkönen 2013; Lyngstad and Jalovaara 2010; Wagner and Weiβ 2006).”

“Numerous studies have documented stronger associations between family structure and children’s behavior problems net of household income during early childhood (Amato, 2010; Parcel, Campbell, & Zhong, 2012), suggesting that different but related domains of household context operate on distinctive components of childre…”

“It is through the pathway of increasingly dysfunctional family relationships that the predisruption effects of divorce are thought to influence child mental health (Amato, 2010).”

“Research on separated and divorced families has a long tradition in the United States (Amato, 2000, 2010; Cherlin & Furstenberg, 1994; Ganong & Coleman, 1984), but similar research has begun to burgeon in Europe as well (Allan, Hawker, & Crow, 2001; Kreyenfeld & Martin, 2011; Zartler, 2011).”

“The implications of parental separation or divorce for children’s well-being are of special interest here (Amato 2010), and the recent upsurge in the numbers of affected children has led some scholars to suggest an increasing differentiation of social destinies (McLanahan 2004).”

“Some teachers reported that changes in the family, such as parental divorce or a birth of a sibling, may manifest in first-graders at school as restlessness, anger, sadness, instability or the inability to perform (see also Amato 2000, 2010; Heath and Cole 2012; Legg et al.”

“Keywords: Divorce, Health, Marriage, Social support, Widowhood Marital dissolution is a stressful life event that has negative consequences for individual well-being, including mental and physical health (Amato, 2010; Liu & Umberson, 2008).”

“…is partly determined by certain characteristics of family functioning, such as increased interparental conflict, decreased quality of parenting, diminished parent–child contact, and reduced quality of parent–child relationships (Amato, 2010; van Dijk, van der Valk, Dekovi c, & Branje, 2020).”

“However, for 765 1 3 Disparities in Children’s Family Experiences by Mother’s… children, the experience of living in a family situation other than an intact two-parent family is often associated with different negative outcomes during the life course (Amato 2010; Härkönen et al.”

“NBP The NBP targeted three potentially modifiable parenting domains—parent–child relationship quality, children’s exposure to interparental conflict, and effective discipline, all of which have been identified as being associated with children’s postdivorce adjustment (Amato, 2010; Kelly, 2012).”

“Respondents’ age at the time of marriage does not affect the probability of divorce, which is surprising considering that most studies have found that younger ages at the start of the marriage increase the risk of divorce (Amato, 2010).”

“Despite the increase in late-life divorce, this population has received little empirical attention (Amato, 2010; Brown & Lin, 2012).”

“Divorce has become an acceptable option and has provided escape from unhappy, or even abusive, relationships (Amato, 2010).”

“Usually, living with both birth parents is associated with better performance with regard to a variety of social, academic, emotional, behavioural, and health outcomes [4, 11].”

“In general, the findings showed that adolescents from nonintact families displayed poorer developmental outcomes than those from intact families, which is in line with previous studies (e.g., Amato, 2010).”

“This idea is congruent with earlier research, which suggests that while divorce is associated with a variety of detriments to health and well-being, this is particularly true for males (Amato, 2010; Sbarra, Law, & Portley, 2011).”

“, financial, residential, and emotional) upon families (Amato, 2010; Wade & Pevalin, 2004).”

“Stressful family relationships, especially parental conflict, have long been implicated in poor outcomes, including anxiety and depression, in children and adults (Amato, 2010; Amato & Afiifi, 2006; Cummings, George, McCoy & Davies, 2012; Emery, Otto, & O’Donohue, 2005; Fabricius, & Luecken, 2007).”

“Controls In order to reduce the potential for omitted variable bias, research on work-family conflict (Eby et al., 2005), couple separation (Amato, 2010; Presser, 2000), and child birth/ adoption (Dyrdal & Lucas, 2013; Myers, 1997; Thomson, 1997) was consulted to determine the appropriate…”

“In this regard, it is important to bear in mind that not all parents have the same level of conflict management (Amato, 2010).”

“These studies have shown that divorce affects academic outcomes in children (Amato, 2010; Potter, 2010), in that children do better overall in two-parent families that are stable over time (Brown, 2010).”

“research focused on contrasting children living with both biological/adoptive parents, children living with one parent and a stepparent, and children living with a single parent (Amato, 2000; Amato, 2010; Evenhouse & Reilly, 2004; Gennetian, 2005; Ginther & Pollak, 2004; Sweeney, 2010).”

“Despite the volume of research and a wealth of knowledge, Amato (2010) pointed to several gaps.”

“The process of divorce and the associated upheaval can result in poor adjustment for parents and children (Amato, 2010).”

“2015; Oppenheimer 1997), child development (Amato 2010; Härkönen et al.”

“Education also has important effects on family outcomes, including increased likelihood of marriage (Schneider, 2011), reduced likelihood of single parenthood (Lundberg et al., 2016), and increased marital stability (Amato, 2010).”

“Scholars have devoted the better part of three decades examining the impact of marital discord on children’s adjustment in both intact and divorced families (e.g., Afifi & Schrodt, 2003; Amato, 2010; Amato & Afifi, 2006; Cummings & Davies, 2002; Grych & Fincham, 1990).”

“Control Variables Finally, included in the current analysis are control variables that have been found in previous research to be predictors of marital disruption (Amato, 2010; Lehrer, 2008; Lehrer & Chiswick, 1993; Schoen et al., 2002; Teachman, 2002).”

“Although family processes continue when divorce or death of a parent takes place, taking intervening stressful circumstances and transitions into consideration was beyond the scope of this study (Amato, 2010).”

“There is always a need for longitudinal research that follows VC 2017 The Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice individuals throughout the divorce process (Amato, 2010).”

“A strong correlation has been found between parental divorce and youth EPB, but research is inconclusive on the long-term effects of divorce (Amato 2010).”

“In particular, a comprehensive understanding of the psychological implications of divorce requires multiple assessments during the years leading up to and following legal divorce (Amato, 2010).”

“For example, there are rich literatures on parenting styles shaping development in childhood and adolescence (Ebbert et al., 2019), intergenerational dynamics (Fingerman et al., 2020), the consequences of parental divorce (Amato, 2010), and career development and workplace influences (Moen, 2016).”

“Each year, a considerable number of children are faced with the divorce or separation of their parents, which is associated with an increased risk of problems that may persist well into adolescence and adulthood (Amato, 2010).”

“To the extent that causality is behind these associations, a suspected mechanism is stress that family structure transition and low income create in the lives of children (family structure: Amato, 2010; low income: Yeung, Linver, & Brooks-Gunn, 2002).”

“For example, parental relationship dissolution or uninvolved childrearing can contribute to psychological distress and/or behavioral problems in offspring regardless of the parents' sexual orientation (Amato, 2010; Amato & James, 2010; Perrin, Cohen, & Caren, 2013).”

“…may not be characterized by the same degree of negativity as with CCV, but the exposure to heightened harassment during the stressful transition of divorce has the potential to negatively impact the health and adjustment of these mothers and their children (Amato, 2010; Fabricius & Luecken, 2007).”

“Overall, these findings align with many previous studies [3, 35, 36], and highlight that adolescents with separated parents are at a higher risk of mental health problems across several domains of mental health.”

“Although health implications for adults are in part due to selection effects, the bulk of the evidence attributes negative outcomes to the effects of divorce rather than selection [52].”

“In fact, at the end of the twentieth century it was predicted that 43–46% of marriages would end in divorce (Amato, 2010), a rate that is presumably at least somewhat accounted for by high rates of infidelity (approximately 50% of both married men and married women; Scarf, 1988).”

“It should be noted that recent literature on family characteristics and children’s health emphasised the impact of family transitions as described above, both in the early course of life [39, 61] and with regard to intergenerational transmission of, for example, parenting styles [75].”

“A small but growing literature has examined the effects of marital disruption and complex family structures among elderly persons on process measures, most notably, intergenerational transfers (Pezzin, Pollak, & Schone, 2008; Pezzin & Schone, 1999, 2002; Shapiro & Remle, 2011) and quality of intergenerational relation…”

“Growing up with divorced parents is related to negative child outcomes, such as lower levels of well-being and lower academic achievement (Amato, 2010; Amato & James, 2010).”

“…point for understanding the association between psychological stress and health.1 First, divorce is a major interpersonal stressor that has the potential to increase risk for a range of negative health outcomes, including increased risk for early death (Amato, 2010; Sbarra, Law, & Portley, 2011).”

“Thus, although many children who experience family transitions fare well, children of divorce and stepchildren are at an elevated risk of experiencing maladjustment—the influence of which can last well into adulthood (see Amato 2010 and Sweeney 2010 for discussions on these topics).”

“benefits of marriage, and possible attempts to change aspects of the relationship or distribution of resources (Amato, 2010; Brines & Joyner, 1999; Gottman & Notarius, 2000; Lyngstad & Jalovaara, 2010).”

“As a result, youth who experienced multiple family structure changes growing up are also likely to have experienced economic hardship, causing further disruptions to adolescents and their parents that could result in risk-taking (Amato, 2010; Fomby & Sennott, 2013).”

“In addition to the idea that a divorce represents a “temporary crisis,” researchers have claimed that divorce can be seen as a source of multiple chronic strains that might have long-term consequences for the divorcees (Amato, 2010; Demo & Fine, 2010).”

“outcomes (Amato, 2010), previous studies showed significantly elevated rates of almost all types of victimization among children in both nontraditional family types, relative to those living with two biological/adoptive parents (Turner, Finkelhor, Hamby, & Shattuck, 2013).”

“parental separation) have shown marked changes in prevalence (Amato, 2010).”

“We also found that this long-term impact of separation is transla ted via a complex chain of material and relational disadvantage across the life course aki n to Amato’s ‘divorce-stressadjustment perspective’ [37].”

“Both groups experience great physical, economic, and psychological distress as they attempt to sort out and adjust to their new roles, relationships, and life circumstances (Amato, 2010; Deutsch, 2008; Pedro-Carroll & Reynolds, 2000).”

“Most previous research did not find gender differences in the associations between parental separation and child outcomes (Powell and Downey, 1997; Amato, 2010).”

“…to perform worse in terms of cognitive development, academic performance, psychosocial adaptation, and face more emotional and behavioural problems (Amato, 2010; Burt, Barnes, McGue, & Iacono, 2008; Hetherington & Stanley-Hagan, 1997; Jones, Kramer, Armitage, & Williams, 2003; McLanahan, Tach, &…”

“Youngsters are thought to be especially hindered by divorce in case of negative and conflictual family processes [22,29], such as interparental conflict, triangulation, and low parental warmth.”

“Children of divorce are more likely to suffer psychological consequences and have impacted relationships following parental divorce (see, e.g., Amato, 2001, 2010; Amato & Cheadle, 2005; Cartwright, 2008; Kot & Shoemaker, 1999; Wallerstein, Lewis, & Blakeslee, 2001).”

“…of stepfamily formation for children’s well-being, indicating that children in stepfamilies generally have lower wellbeing than children in households with two biological parents and tend to show little or no advantage over children in single-parent households (Amato, 2010; Sweeney, 2010).”

“Economic resources have been explored as a determinant of repartnering, because divorce and separation have a substantial negative influence on economic well-being (Smock 1994; Jarvis and Jenkins 1999; Poortman 2000; Amato 2010).”