Review article
https://doi.org/10.5559/di.23.1.01
The Consequences of Divorce for Adults and Children: An Update
Paul R. Amato
; Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
Abstract
The divorce rate has increased in the United States and most
European countries since the 1960s. Public and scientific
concern about the consequences of divorce for adults and
children has generated a large research literature. Most studies
find that divorced adults experience more mental and physical
health problems than do married adults. Similarly, most studies
find that children with divorced parents experience more mental
and physical health problems than do children with
continuously married parents. Available research suggests that
these associations are partly spurious (due to selection effects)
and partly due to the stress associated with marital disruption.
People's reactions to divorce are highly variable, with the speed
and degree of adjustment depending on a variety of resources
and post-divorce circumstances. In the United States, several
types of court- and community-based programs appear to
facilitate parents' and children's adjustment to divorce.
Keywords
divorce; separation; mental health; physical health; effect sizes; selection; adjustment to divorce; second demographic transition
Hrčak ID:
121876
URI
Publication date:
1.3.2014.
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