Consequences of Marital Dissolution for Children

Abstract

This paper examines changes in marriage as an institution for rearing children in the United States. It reviews the effects of marital instability and living arrangements on children's welfare, and focuses on how children's economic, emotional, and social needs are met when parents separate. The review shows that changes in marriage and childrearing have different consequences for women and men. For women, marriage and parenthood are distinct institutions. Women provide for children's needs, whether or not the women are married to their children's fathers. For men, marriage defines responsibilities to children. At divorce, men typically disengage from their biological children. When men remarry they may acquire new children whom they help to support. The review describes the effects on children of divorced mothers' and fathers' varying commitments to childrearing. It considers the difficulties that divorced parents experience when they try to continue to share responsibilities for children after separation, and it suggests avenues for future research.

Breaks in the breaks: An analysis of divorce rates in Europe

“…The possibility of divorce may increase female labour force participation, (Michael, 1985;Johnson and Skinner 1986;Peters, 1986;Parkman, 1992), but it can also affect the economic status of women and children (Jarvis and Jenkins, 1999;Bedard and Deschênes, 2005). At the same time, divorce may also have long-term negative effect on children (Seltzer, 1994;Amato, 2000;Gruber, 2004). These findings suggest that it is crucial to carefully consider the frequency of persistent shocks in divorce rates, since divorce can permanently impact on large segments of the population and on both economic and psychological well-being dimensions.…”

Offspring of parents who were separated and not speaking to one another have reduced resistance to the common cold as adults

“…Indeed, increasing evidence highlights that family environment and the quality of parents' relationship with each other following separation may be more important predictors of childhood adjustment than parental separation per se (4). In particular, having parents who can communicate and cooperate in jointly attending to a child's care following separation may protect against adverse psychosocial outcomes in the years following the separation (25)(26)(27)(28). Furthermore, compared with individuals who report poorer childhood family environments, individuals who report more family cohesion and less parental conflict following childhood parental separation endorse fewer health complaints and show decreased risk of morbidity and mortality during adulthood (29,30).…”

Parent–Child Relations and Peer Associations as Mediators of the Family Structure–Substance Use Relationship

“…Because the presence of a nonbiological parent often increases family tension, researchers have speculated that adolescents residing with stepfamilies may be at risk for conflict with their parents, which undermines the quality of their relationships (Amato, 1987;Free, 1991;Seltzer, 1994). Less restrictive parenting styles, on the other hand, may be more characteristic of singleparent households, giving these children greater opportunities for participating in deviant activities (Amato, 1993;Cookston, 1999;Free, 1991;Nock, 1988;Steinberg, 1987).…”