Glenn, N.D. & Kramer, K.B. (1985, November). The psychological well-being of adult children of divorce. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47(4), pp. 905-912.

OVERVIEW

The effects of parental divorce on eight dimensions of psychological well-being were studied from eight recent U.S. national surveys. The results found that divorce exhibits negative influences into the lives of adult children of divorce.

"The only fact that is fairly well established in the adult lives of persons who were children when their parents divorced is that such persons are themselves more likely to divorce than others (Pope & Mueller. [1976, Winter]. Journal of Social Issues, 32, 49-66; Mueller & Pope. [1977, February]. Journal of Marriage and The Family, 39, 83-93; Kulka & Weingarten. [1979, Fall]. Journal of Social Issues, 35, 50-78.) This idea rejects the theory that "time heals all wounds." People are subject to the repercussions of divorce during their formative years, but changes can be made if one is made aware of the problem. The long-term consequences of parental divorce on psychological well being can often be positive rather than negative. An exaggeration of this view states, "Dealing successfully with early negative experiences will leave the person with adaptability and coping ability useful for dealing with problems later in life." (MacFarlane. [1964]. Vita Humana, 7, 115-126.) However, this view has not been substantiated with any findings and is generally not in agreement with the majority of researchers.

From the surveys conducted from 1973 through 1982, seven of the eight dimensions of psychological well-being such as happiness, health self-rating and satisfaction from friendships, were found to have negative results. Females had a high negative coefficient due to the finding that female children of divorce were somewhat more likely to be divorced and not remarried (Glenn & Shelton. [1983, Fall]. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 35, 50-78).

The data seem to present a fairly generalized understanding of the effects of divorce. It appears likely that any negative effects were largely influences associated with parental conflict (both before and after the divorce), social stigma, and emotional problems of the custodial parent.

IMPLICATIONS

1. Teens should realize that they are not alone in their sufferings and should strive to begin to help each other through their unique pains.
2. Youth leaders need to be informed of the effects on kids coming from a broken home.
3. Divorced parents need to show lots of love to their kids and encourage them to talk about their hurts and pains from the divorce and other areas of their lives.
4. Friends of children of divorce and youth leaders need to be available to these teenagers to help them effectively deal with their emotional trauma.
5. Suffering is never desired, but those who successfully deal with this type of emotional trauma will be able to help the ever increasing generations of children of divorce as divorce becomes the norm rather than the exception.