Browse > Article

The Long-Term Effects of Parental Divorce or Separation on Childhood, Adolescent and Adult Psychosocial Health in UK  

Sohn Byoungduk (Dept. of Social Work, Chongshin University)
Publication Information
International Journal of Human Ecology / v.5, no.2, 2004 , pp. 51-59 More about this Journal
Abstract
Parents' marital conflicts are often linked to various emotional and behavioural difficulties of their children but rarely known about later adolescent and adult lives. This study was undertaken to examine if serious parental conflict such as divorce and/or separation in childhood was associated with emotional and social performance during later adolescent and adult lives. The research literature on divorce was briefly reviewed. The data was derived from the National Child Development Study (NCDSS 1974/age 16 - 1991/age 33) which followed the lives of 17,500 individuals born on March 3-9, 1958 in England, Scotland and Wales. Regression analyses indicate strong evidence that the experience of parental divorce or separation in childhood negatively affects the child's emotional and social performance in their subsequent life. The higher likelihood of having emotional problems, being less competent at their job, experiencing health/disability problems, being a lone-parent, unemployed, and homeless were strongly associated with parental divorce or separation experienced in childhood. Intervention is desirable to address the concerns influencing socio-psychological performance amongst children who have experienced parental divorce or separation.
Keywords
Parents' marital conflict in childhood; emotional and behavioural problems; later socio-psychological performance;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 McLanahan, S.&Garfinkel, I.(2000). The Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study:Questions, Design, and a Few Preliminary Results, Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Paper no. 1208-00. http:www.ssc.wisc.edu/irp
2 National Statistics. (2001). Divorces in 2000:England and Wales, London:UK www. statistics.gov.uk
3 Veijola, J., Puukka, P., Lehtinen, V., Moring, J., Lindholm, T.& Vaisaven, E.(1998). Sex differences in the association between childhood experiences and adult depression, Psychological Medicine 28, 21-27   DOI   ScienceOn
4 Weiner, A.;Kupermintz, H. (2001). Facing Adulthood Alone: The Long-Term Impact of Family Break-up and infant Institutions, a Longitudinal Study, British Journal of Social Work 31, 213-234   DOI   ScienceOn
5 Robertson, M.&Toro, P. (1998). Homeless Youth:Research, Intervention and Policy, The 1998 National Symposium on Homelessness REsearch. http://aspe.hhs.gov/progsys/homeless/symposium/Toc.htm
6 City University Social Statistics Research unit, National Child Development Study Composite File Including Selected Perinatal Data and Sweeps One to Five, 1958-1991 (computer file). 2nd ed. Nation Birthday Trust Fund, National Children's Bureau, City University Social Statistics Research Unit. Colchester, Essex: The Data Archive (distributor), 25, July 2000. SN:3148
7 National Vital Statistics Report(NVSS). (2001). Births, Marriages, Divorces, and Deaths:Provisional Data for January-December 2000, MD, USA:Department of Health and Human Services
8 Simons, R. Whitbeck, L., Melby, J.&Wu, C.(1994). Economic Prssure and Harsh Parenting, in Conger, R. and Elder, G. (Eds.), Families in Troubled Times Adapting to Changes in Rural America (pp. 207-234), New York:Aldine DE Gruyter
9 Biblarz, T,Raftery, A.(1993). The Effects of Family Disruption on Social Mobility, American Sociological Review 58, 97-109   DOI   ScienceOn
10 Cohen, A., Adler, N., Kaplan, S., Pelcoviez & Mandel, F. (2002). Interactional effects of marital status and physical abuse on adolescent psychopathology, Child Abuse & Naglect 26, 277-288   DOI   ScienceOn
11 Bergman, M. & Scott, J. (2001). Young Adolescents' Well-Being and Health-Risk Behaviours: Gender and Socio-Economic Differences, Journal of Adolescence 24, 183-197   DOI   ScienceOn
12 Mclean, G., Embey, E., Cauce, M. (1999). Homeless adolescents' paths to separation from family: Comparison of family characteristics, psychological adjustment, and victimization, Journal of Community Psychology 27(2), 179-188   DOI   ScienceOn
13 Stansfeld, S., Smith, G., and Marmot, M. (1993). Association between physical and psychological morbidity in the Whitehall II study, Journal of Psychosomatic REsearch 37, 227-238   DOI   ScienceOn
14 Herrenkohl, T., Tmguin, E., Hill, K., Hawkins, D., Abbott, D. & Catalano, R. (2000). Developmental Risk Factors for Youth Violence, Jounal of Adolescent Health 26, 176-186   DOI   ScienceOn
15 Astone, N.&McLanahan, S. (1991). Family structure, Parental Practices, and High School Completion, American Sociological Review 56, 309-20   DOI   ScienceOn
16 Jekielek, S. (1998). Parent Conflict, Marital Disruption and Children's Emotional Well-Being, Social Forces 76(3), 905-35   DOI
17 Garvin, V., Leber,D.&Kalter,N.(1991). Children of divorce: predictors of change following preventive intervention, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 61(5), 438-447   DOI
18 McLanahan, S., &Sandefur, G. (1994). Growing up With a Sungle Parent: What Hurts, What/Helps. Cambridge, MA:Harvard University Press