Divorce and the Next Generation

Effects on Young Adults' Patterns of Intimacy and Expectations for Marriage

Craig Everett

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781560244448
• eBook ISBN:
  9781317939863
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Health Care Delivery

This informative book clarifies the complex picture of how the experience of divorce in one generation may influence the next generation's approach to and preparedness for marriage. It identifies research and clinical issues regarding the effects of the parental divorce experience on young adults'patterns of dating, attachment, and mate selection. Divorce and the Next Generation focuses primarily on young adults and the patterns and attitudes regarding intimacy and attachment that they will carry into their own adult marriages.The book contains research studies which compare differing variables of developmental achievement, personal adjustment, and attitudes of children from divorced and nondivorced families. The implications of these findings for understanding the intergenerational effect from divorce in one generation to marriage in the next are crucial as they guide professionals in their work with young adults and divorcing families in clinical and educational settings. This enlightening volume provides a foundation and a stimulus for more research into these dynamics. Divorce and the Next Generation addresses topics such as:

• the effects of childhood family structure and perceptions of parental marital happiness on marital and parenting aspirations
• differences in intimate relationships between college students from divorced and intact families
• a literature review of short- and long-term effects of parental divorce on children
• the effects of conflict and family structure on attitudes toward marriage and divorce
• differences in marriage role expectations between college students of divorced and intact families
• effects of parental divorce on children in Erikson's identity stage
• indirect effects of parental divorce on self-concept via changes in family environment
• correlates of self-esteem among college-age offspring from divorced familiesDivorce and the Next Generation is full of useful information for beginning and advanced family therapists, marital counselors, family and psychological researchers, and other professionals interested in the effects divorce has on the families involved.

Intimate Relationships:
College Students from Divorced and Intact Families

Lisa Gabardi

Lee A. Rosén

SUMMARY. The study examined differences between college students from divorced and intact families on several measures of intimate relationships. Analyses indicated that students from divorced families had more sexual partners and desired more sexual involvement when going steady than students from intact families. Regression analyses indicated that, for students from both divorced and intact families, parental marital conflict was a significant predictor of total number of sexual partners and negative attitudes toward marriage. In addition, parents’ marital status was a significant predictor of sexual involvement while going steady and a significant predictor of self perceptions of sociability and morality. For students from divorced families, conflict after the divorce was a significant predictor of sexual involvement while going steady and negative attitudes toward marriage. Number of years since the divorce occurred was also a significant predictor of sexual involvement desired after several dates, relationship beliefs, and attitudes toward marriage for students from divorced families. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of college students’ development of intimate relationships.

Investigators have recently begun to study the effects of parental divorce on adult “children” of divorce. Although research has indicated that age and developmental stage are critical factors affecting young children’s response to divorce (Hetherington, 1981; Krudek, 1981; Wallerstein & Kelly, 1980) few investigations have focused on the impact of parental divorce on measures relevant to the developmental stage of adult children. Many researchers have continued to focus on measures of adjustment used in studies with younger children-psychological adjustment, academic success, sexrole development, self-concept, family relations, and loss (Farber, Primav-era, & Felner, 1983; Fine, Moreland, & Schwebel, 1983; Grossman, Shea, & Adams, 1980; Kulka, Weingarten, 1979). The effects parental divorce may have on young adult issues such as dating, sexuality, ability to be intimate, and beliefs about relationships and marriage have not been adequately examined (Booth, Brinkerhoff, & White, 1984; Hepworth, Ryder, & Dreyer, 1984; Hillard, 1984; Kalter, Riember, Buckman, & Woo Chen, 1985; Kelly, 1981). Some researchers have suggested that young adults from divorced families differ from those of intact families in their beliefs and behaviors involving intimate relationships (Cooney, Smyer, Hagestad, Klock, 1986; Parish, 1981; Vess, Schwebel, & Moreland, 1983). We conducted this study to expand our understanding of how intimacy development is impacted by parental divorce.

METHOD

Subjects

Subjects were 300 college students enrolled in introductory psychology courses at Colorado State University. To decrease the demographic variance of the subject pool, only students who were between 18 and 25 years of age, single, heterosexual, had parents that were still married or had been divorced only once, and had not been sexually abused were included in the study.¹ Information on the demographic characteristics of the subject pool is presented in Table 1.

Procedure

Students were pre-screened to meet the demographic criteria for this study using the demographic data sheet. Subjects from divorced and intact families were randomly selected from the pre-screening information. Subjects were then asked to complete a series of paper and pencil questionnaires regarding demographic information, dating status, sexual behaviors, relationship beliefs, intimacy, attitudes toward marriage, and self-esteem. Surveys were group administered and all subjects were informed that the survey information was completely confidential. Questionnaires in the survey packets were randomly ordered and identified by subject number to maintain anonymity.

Table 1

Demographic Characteristics of the Subject Pool

Characteristic	N	Percent(%)
Gender
Female	193	64.3
Male	107	35.7
Race/Ethnieity
Asian American	22	3.7
Black	12	4.0
Caucasian	255	85.0
Hispanic	16	5.3
Native American	4	1.3
Other (Unspecified)	2	0.7
Religion
Catholic	97	32.3
Christian	76	25.3
Jewish	12	4.0
Protestant	57	19.0
Agnostic	23	7.7
Other (Unspecified)	31	11.6
Class Standing
Freshman	171	57.0
Sophomore	44	14.7
Junior	56	18.7
Senior	28	9.3
Other	1	0.3
Parental Marital Status
Married	185	61.7
Divorced	115	38.3

Measures

Demographic data sheet. Subjects completed a series of questions regarding age, gender, marital status, religion, racial/ethnic background, class, grade point average and academic major, and family information such as parental education. Subjects were also asked several questions regarding their biological parents’ marital history.

Parental conflict scale. Subjects were asked to rate the level of conflict between their parents on a Likert scale from 1 to 7 (1 = no conflict, 7 = extremely high conflict). If students’ parents were divorced, students were also asked to rate the conflict between their parents for the year prior to the divorce and for the year following the divorce on a similar Likert scale. While this scale is based upon students’ recollections of their parents’ relationships, we felt it was important to assess how students perceived their parents’ relationship when they were growing up. Some researchers suggest that students’ perceptions of their parents’ relationship are more pertinent to their adjustment than their parents’ actual level of conflict (Greenberg & Nay, 1982).

Sexual Behavior Measures

Sexuality inventory. Subjects were asked questions regarding their dating status, frequency of their current and past sexual behavior, and sexual orientation. S...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• About the Editor
• Introduction
• The Effects of Childhood Family Structure and Perceptions of Parents' Marital Happiness on Familial Aspirations
• Intimate Relationships: College Students from Divorced and Intact Families
• Favorable Outcomes in Children After Parental Divorce
• Familial Conflict and Attitudes Toward Marriage: A Psychological Wholeness Perspective
• Differences in the Marriage Role Expectations of College Students from Intact and Divorced Families
• Anti-Marriage Attitudes and Motivations to Marry Amongst Adolescents with Divorced Parents
• Relationships Between Divorce and College Students' Development of Identity and Intimacy
• The Long-Term Effects of Parental Divorce on Family Relationships and the Effects on Adult Children's Self-Concept
• Correlates of Self-Ksteem Among College Offspring from Divorced Families: A Study of Gender-Based Differences
• Selected Aspects of Parenting and Children's Social Competence Post-Separation: The Moderating Effects of Child's Sex, Age, and Family Economic Hardship
• Implications of Divorce on Reasons for Living in Older Adolescents