• International Journal of Human Ecology
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.51-59
• /
• 2004

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.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.51-75
• /
• 2016

This study focuses on the life experience of married women in their 30s to 40s who have experienced parental divorce. For a comprehensive understanding towards the women, this study takes a life history research approach. The participants of this research are 8 women who have experienced parental divorce and are now married with children. The data were gathered through in-depth interviews and were analyzed through the spiral of analysis, following the process of Wolcott's "description, analysis, and interpretation." The results of this study are as follows. First, participants experienced emotions such as fear, anger, and lack of affection. Second, parenting attitude and parental divorce had negative effects on the participants' formation and development of self concept and in turn, participants experienced anxiety and withdrawal from interpersonal relationships. Some had difficulties in concentrating on their schoolwork, which was caused by psychological effects from their instable home environments and some were negligent at school due to their parents' indifference or as an act of rebellion towards them. Third, although participants displayed interest towards the opposite sex, fear towards the opposite sex or unrealistic expectations led to difficulties in forming relationships. Participants also confessed that although they married so that they could escape their original family and form a new happy one, they experienced a rocky start at the beginning of their marriage. Fourth, parental divorce had a lifelong impact on children. Even after the children became adults, parental divorce affected each key stage of transition in life such as dating, choosing one's spouse, marriage, and child rearing. Fifth, participants displayed a strong attachment to life under the assumption that only they themselves can be depended on. This led to their strong commitments to a successful marriage without the possibility of divorce. In conclusion, parental divorce is not a transitory or incidental event. Rather, it becomes a part of the children's lives with lifelong implications.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.163-173
• /
• 2005

The psycho-social adjustment of adolescents living in situations of high parental conflicts were compared with those in low parental conflicts, and with those in parental divorce. Ten high schools were chosen in Seoul and Kyunggi areas and all the students in three classes of each school replied to a questionnaire. Data consisted of the replies of 126 students living with parents in high marital conflict, 101 with parents in low marital conflict and 101 with a divorced parent. The results indicated that children living in high parental conflict compared to those in low parental conflict, showed a lower level of adjustment in all of the psycho-social adjustment variables except social self-esteem. There were no significant differences between children in high parental conflict and those in parental divorce.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.215-238
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of conflict and nurturing factors for the divorced parent on the behavioral adaptation of their children. The participants in this study include 216 children in divorced families nationwide. Structural Equation Modeling with LISREL8 was used for statistical method. In order to achieve the purpose, researchers firstly tried to test a construct validity of conceptual variables(parental conflict, negative attitude of parental nurturing, child's belief about parental divorce, child's aggression and child's delinquence) by employing exploratory factor analysis(EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA). Result showed that all the five conceptual variables were discriminated. It was identified as the fit index of path structure was good(CFI=.955, NNFI=.947, RMSEA=.046). The specific result were as follows: 1. the parental conflict(${\xi}1$) was directly related to the negative attitude of parental nurturing(${\eta}1$) and the child's belief about parental divorce(${\eta}2$). 2. the parental conflict(${\xi}1$) was indirectly related to child's belief about parental divorce(${\eta}2$), the child's aggression(${\eta}3$) and delinquence(${\eta}4$). 3. the negative attitude of parental nurturing(${\eta}1$) was directly related to the child's belief about parental divorce(${\eta}2$). 4. the negative attitude of parental nurturing(${\eta}1$) was indirectly related to the child's aggression(${\eta}3$) and delinquence(${\eta}4$). Lastly, and, the child's belief about parental divorce(${\eta}2$) was directly related to the child's aggression(${\eta}3$) and delinquence(${\eta}4$). Researchers also identified the mediating effect of the parental nurturing between parental conflict and child's belief about parental divorce. On the basis of these results, this article provided some suggestions for promoting of children welfare.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.24 no.1 s.79
• /
• pp.181-192
• /
• 2006

This study investigated the effects of children's gender, parental divorce, and children's perception of parenting behaviors on children's behavior problems. The subjects were 80 children in divorced families(46boys and 34girls) and 74 children in non-divorced families (37boys and 37girls). They completed questionnaire assessing perception of parenting behaviors and their teacher rated K-CBCL(withdrawal, depression/anxiety, aggression). Results were as follows. First, children in non-divorced families perceived their parenting behavior more positively. Second, boys had more behavior problems such as depression/anxiety and aggression than girls. Third, children in divorced families had more behavior problems such as withdrawal, depression/anxiety, and aggression than children in non-divorced families. Fourth, children's withdrawal was affected by parental divorce and children's perception of parenting behaviors, and children's depression/ anxiety and aggression were affected by parental divorce and children's gender.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.57-69
• /
• 2012

Although the prevalence of divorce in South Korea has greatly increased since late 1990s, the impact of divorce on the parents of adult children in Korean families has received very little attention. This is particularly unfortunate because of the emphasis in Korean culture on family cohesion and obligations. To address these issues, we explored in our study the well-being of the parents of divorced adult children as well as intergenerational relationships among the members of Korean families. Total 113 parents participated (39 males and 74 females), age ranged from 46 to 65. Of the total participants surveyed, 29% were parents of divorced children (N=33), with the remainder having children in intact marriages (N=80). The measures examined four areas: (1) demographics, (2) parental psychological well-being, (3) intergeneration relationships, and (3) parental perception of their adult child's marital experience. A series of MANOVA and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. Our findings indicate important differences between parents of divorced children and parents of non-divorced children on overall well-being, interpersonal relationships, and parental perception, which is consistent with previous studies. Parents of divorced children in this study also reported lower level of intergenerational relationships compared to parents of nondivorced children. Parent-grandchild relationships seem to be particularly important for parental well-being. In addition, we found an unexpected association between parents and their relationship with their former children inlaws. More detailed discussion was discussed.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.157-168
• /
• 2016

Objective: This study examined the facotrs influencing the relationship of adolescents with non-custodial parent. Specifically, this study focused on the comparative influence of the family function as a factor controlling other factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, beliefs about parental divorce, and social support. Methods: Data were collected from 322 adolescents from divorced families using a structured questionnaire. SPSS 22.0, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression were performed to analyze the data. Results and Conclusion: The results revealed that beliefs about parental divorce, social support, and family function affected the relationship with non-custodial parent. After controlling the influence of other factors, family function was found to have a significant influence on the relationship with non-custodial parents. Based on the results, practical suggestions were provided to enhance the relationship between adolescents and non-custodial parents.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.127-138
• /
• 2010

Purpose: This study was designed to develop and test a structural model for children's adaptation in divorced families. The hypothetical model was constructed based on the Family Resilience Model by McCubbin and McCubbin. Methods: Data were collected using self-report questionnaires from 219 children (3-6th grade) in divorced families. The children attended one of 22 community agencies, 8 after-school programs, 3 elementary schools in three cities in South Korea. The collected data were analyzed using LISREL program to test the hypothetical model. Results: The modified model was constructed by deleting four paths in accordance with the statistical and theoretical criteria. Compared to the hypothetical model, the revised one had a better fit to the data. Self-esteem, and beliefs about parental divorce had direct effects, and family communication and internal control had indirect effects on children's adaptation in divorced families. These variables explained 56% of the variance in children's adaptation. Conclusion: The modified model was supported by empirical data. This model could be applied to family nursing interventions with divorced families or any other suffering family transition. When working with children experiencing parental divorce, it is important for nurses to enhance children's self-esteem, family communication and to decrease children's negative beliefs about parental divorce to help in their adaptation.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.48 no.7
• /
• pp.99-110
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to analyze the path of parental divorce on their children's emotional and behavioral problems through child-rearing behaviors and children's self-esteem. The participants were 162 children from divorced families and 194 from intact families. The Instruments used were CBQ (Children's Behaviour Questionnaire) (Rutter, 1967), Child-rearing rating scale (Park, 1995) and SEI (Self Esteem Inventory) (Coopersmith, 1967). The data were analyzed by ANCOVA and path analysis. The results were as follows. First, there were significant differences in children's emotional and behavioral problems and self-esteem, and caregivers' child-rearing behaviors between children from divorced and intact families. Second, parental divorce affected children's emotional and behavioral problems directly, as well as indirectly through child-rearing behaviors and children's self-esteem.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.41-52
• /
• 1998

The purpose of this research was to assess gender differences in the processes of intergenerational transmission of marital instability. This study revealed gender differences in the intergenerational transmission of marital instability. The fit indices suggest that the hypothesized model fit better for the female sample. Parental divorce marital quality and marital commitment were significant predictors of marital instability for both genders. Parental divorce was a strong predictor of marital quality for women only. While the path between age difference and marital quality for females was strong the same association disappeared for their male counterparts.