The Impact of Parental Divorce on the Intimate Relationships of Adult Offspring: A Review of the Literature
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: : This literature review provides a comprehensive overview on the impact of parental divorce on the intimate relationships of adult offspring. In this review, the effects of parental divorce on adults ’ relationships are associated with factors, as outlined in Christensen and Brooks (2001), which have been found to impact the attitudes toward intimacy and marriage of adult children of divorce (ACD). The factors discussed include: age of individual at time of divorce, gender, family conflict, and trust. For each factor, with the exception of family conflict, the research findings present contradictory findings on the effects of parental divorce. The lack of research on this topic does not help alleviate those inconsistencies. Therefore, the author concludes that more research needs to be conducted in this area, in addition to modifying prevailing research methods that seem to exacerbate the mixed findings. Over the past three decades, the United States has experienced a sharp increase in the number of marriages ending in divorce (Christensen & Brooks, 2001). The National Center for Health Statistics reports that one out of two marriages end in divorce (Wendel, 1997). The rise in occurrence of
Author: Amber Ottaway
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W93826880