Abstract
Parental divorce is the second most prevalent adverse childhood event. Although most children from divorced families do not experience significant adjustment problems, compared to youth in two-parent families, those from divorced families exhibit higher levels significant problems (e.g., mental health problems; school dropout). Analysis of the problems that children face once parents get divorced are presented, and related prevention programs – either child-focused or family-focused – are described. Based on the notion that high-quality parenting mitigated the negative effect of divorce-related stressors on mental health problems, the New Beginnings Program (NBP) is further presented and discussed. The NBP is a theory-based preventive intervention that combines elements from a person-environment transactional framework and a risk and protective factor model. Evaluations of the NBP indicate its wide range of positive outcomes for families and prove that it is also cost-effective.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ainsworth, M. D. S., Waters, E., Blehar, M. C., & Wall, S. N. (2015). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation (1st ed.). Psychology Press.
Alpert-Gillis, L. J., Pedro-Carroll, J. L., & Cowen, E. L. (1989). The children of divorce intervention program: Development, implementation, and evaluation of a program for young urban children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(5), 583–589. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.57.5.583
Amato, P. R. (2000). The consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(4), 1269–1287. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.01269.x
Amato, P. R. (2001). Children of divorce in the 1990s: An update of the Amato and Keith (1991) meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 15(3), 355–370. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.15.3.355
Amato, P. R. (2010). Research on divorce: Continuing trends and new developments. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(3), 650–666. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00723.x
Amato, P. R., & Anthony, C. J. (2014). Estimating the effects of parental divorce and death with fixed effects models. Journal of Marriage and Family, 76(2), 370–386. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12100
Amato, P. R., & Keith, B. (1991). Parental divorce and the well-being of children: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 110(1), 26–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.110.1.26
Amato, P. R., & Sobolewski, J. M. (2001). The effects of divorce and marital discord on adult children’s psychological well-being. American Sociological Review, 66(6), 900–921. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532480xads0601_05
Amiri, S., Fathi-Ashtiani, M., Sedghijalal, A., & Fathi-Ashtiani, A. (2021). Parental divorce and offspring smoking and alcohol use: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 39(3), 388–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/10550887.2021.1886576
Barrett, A. E., & Turner, R. J. (2006). Family structure and substance use problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Examining explanations for the relationship. Addiction, 101(1), 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.01296
Biblarz, T. J., & Gottainer, G. (2000). Family structure and children’s success: A comparison of widowed and divorced single-mother families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(2), 533–548. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00533
Biglan, A., Flay, B. R., Embry, D. D., & Sandler, I. N. (2012). The critical role of nurturing environments for promoting human wellbeing. American Psychologist, 67(4), 257–271. https://doi.org/10.1037/a002679627
Bohart, A. C., & Tallman, K. (1999). How clients make therapy work: The process of active self-healing. American Psychological Association.
Bongaarts, J. (2017). Africa’s unique fertility transition. Population and Development Review, 43, 39–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2016.00164.x
Boring, J. L., Sandler, I. N., Tein, J.-Y., Horan, J. J., & Vélez, C. E. (2015). Children of divorce–coping with divorce: A randomized control trial of an online prevention program for youth experiencing parental divorce. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(5), 999–1005. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039567
Bornstein, M. T., Borenstein, P. H., & Walters, H. A. (1988). Children of divorce: Empirical evaluation of a group-treatment program. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 17(3), 248–254. https://web-b-ebscohost-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=cd29ed56-3a76-43b0-bc3c-fafad20571dd%40pdc-v-sessmgr05
Braver, S. L., Griffin, W. A., & Cookston, J. T. (2005). Prevention programs for divorced nonresident fathers. Family Court Review, 43(1), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1617.2005.00009.x
Brown, S. L., & Rinelli, L. N. (2010). Family structure, family processes, and adolescent smoking and drinking. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 20(2), 259–273. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00636.x
Bzostek, S. H., & Beck, A. N. (2011). Familial instability and young children’s physical health. Social Science & Medicine, 73(2), 282–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.04.014
Cavazos-Rehg, P. A., Krauss, M. J., Spitznagel, E. L., et al. (2015). Maternal age and risk of labor and delivery complications. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 19(6), 1202–1211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1624-7
Cherlin, A. J., Chase-Lansdale, P. L., & McRae, C. (1998). Effects of parental divorce on mental health throughout the life course. American Sociological Review, 63(2), 239–249. https://doi.org/10.2307/2657325
Cicchetti, D., & Schneider-Rosen, K. (1986). An organizational approach to childhood depression. In M. Rutter, C. E. Izard, & P. B. Read (Eds.), Depression in young people: Developmental and clinical perspectives (pp. 71–134). Guilford Press.
Cookston, J. T., Sandler, I. N., Braver, S. L., & Genalo, M. T. (2007). Predicting readiness to adopt evidence-based programs for divorcing families: Champions, attitudes, and access to funding. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(4), 573–581. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.77.4.573
Cowen, E. L., Pedro-Carroll, J. L., & Alpert-Gillis, L. J. (1990). Relationships between support and adjustment among children of divorce. Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines, 31(5), 727–735. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1990.tb00813.x
Crosbie-Burnett, M., & Newcomer, L. L. (1990). Group Counseling children of divorce. Journal of Divorce, 13(3), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.1300/J279v13n03_06
Cummings, E. M., Davies, P. T., & Campbell, S. B. (2000). Developmental psychopathology and family process: Theory, research, and clinical implications. Guilford Press.
D’Onofrio, B. M., Turkheimer, E., Emery, R. E., Slutske, W. S., Heath, A. C., Madden, P. A., & Martin, N. G. (2005). A genetically informed study of marital instability and its association with offspring psychopathology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 114(4), 570–586. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843x.114.4.570
D’Onofrio, B. M., Turkheimer, E., Emery, R. E., Slutske, W. S., Heath, A. C., Madden, P. A., & Martin, N. G. (2006). A genetically informed study of the processes underlying the association between parental marital instability and offspring adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 42(3), 486–499. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.3.486
Dawson-McClure, S. R., Sandler, I. N., Wolchik, S. A., & Millsap, R. E. (2004). Risk as a moderator of the effects of prevention programs for children from divorced families: A six-year longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32(2), 175–190. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:jacp.0000019769.75578.79
DeGarmo, D. S., & Forgatch, M. S. (2005). Early development of delinquency within divorced families: Evaluating a randomized preventive intervention trial. Developmental Science, 8(3), 229–239. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2005.00412.x
DeGarmo, D., & Jones, J. (2019). Fathering Through Change (FTC) intervention for single fathers: Preventing coercive parenting and child problem behaviors. Development and Psychopathology, 31(5), 1801–1811. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579419001019
DeGarmo, D. S., Patterson, G. R., & Forgatch, M. S. (2004). How do outcomes in a specified parent training intervention maintain or wane over time? Prevention Science, 5(2), 73–89. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PREV.0000023078.30191.e0
Deleire, T. K., & Kalil, A. (2002). Good things come in threes: Single-parent multigenerational family structure and adolescent adjustment. Demography, 39(4), 393–413. https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.2002.0016
Ellis, E. M. (2000). Understanding the stress responses of children caught in post divorce conflict. In E. M. Ellis (Ed.), Divorce wars: Interventions with families in conflict (pp. 177–204). American Psychological Association.
Fischer, T. F. C., de Graaf, P. M., & Kalmijn, M. (2005). Friendly and antagonistic contact between former spouses after divorce: Patterns and determinants. Journal of Family Issues, 26(8), 1131–1163. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X05275435
Fogas, B. S., Wolchik, S. A., Braver, S. L., Freedom, D. S., & Bay, R. C. (1992). Locus of control as a mediator of negative divorce-related events and adjustment problems in children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 62(4), 589–598. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0079364
Forgatch, M. S., & DeGarmo, D. S. (1999). Parenting through change: An effective prevention program for single mothers. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 67(5), 711–724. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.67.5.711
Forgatch, M. S., Patterson, G. R., DeGarmo, D. S., & Beldavs, Z. G. (2009). Testing the Oregon delinquency model with 9-year follow-up of the Oregon divorce study. Development and Psychopathology, 21(2), 637–660. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579409000340
Friedman, H. S., & Hampson, S. E. (2021). Personality and health: A lifespan perspective. In O. P. John & R. W. Robins (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (pp. 773–790). The Guilford Press.
Friedman, H. S., Tucker, J. S., Schwartz, J. E., Tomlinson-Keasey, C., Martin, L. R., Wingard, D. L., & Criqui, M. H. (1995). Psychosocial and behavioral predictors of longevity: The aging and death of the “termites”. American Psychologist, 50(2), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.50.2.69
Frisco, M. L., Muller, C., & Frank, K. (2007). Parents’ union dissolution and adolescents’ school performance: Comparing methodological approaches. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69(3), 721–741. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00402.x
Furstenberg, F. F., & Teitler, J. O. (1994). Reconsidering the effects of marital disruption: What happens to children of divorce in early adulthood? Journal of Family Issues, 15(2), 173–190. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X94015002002
Gwynn, C. A., & Brantley, H. T. (1987). Effects of a divorce group intervention for elementary school children. Psychology in the Schools, 24(2), 161–164. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6807(198704)24:2<161::AID-PITS2310240211>3.0.CO;2-N
Hansagi, H., Brandt, L., & Andreasson, S. (2000). Parental divorce: Psychosocial well-being, mental health and mortality during youth and young adulthood: A longitudinal study of Swedish conscripts. The European Journal of Public Health, 10(2), 86–92. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/10.2.86
Hardy, D. F., Power, T. G., & Jaedicke, S. (1993). Examining the relation of parenting to children’s coping with everyday stress. Child Development, 64(6), 1829–1841. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1993.tb04216.x
Hemminki, K., & Chen, B. (2006). Lifestyle and cancer: Effect of parental divorce. European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 15(6), 524–530. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.cej.0000220633.93104.64
Herman, P., Mahrer, N. E., Wolchik, S. A., Porter, M. M., Jones, S., & Sandler, I. N. (2015). Cost-benefit of a preventive intervention for divorced families: Reduction in mental health and justice system service use costs 15 years later. Prevention Science, 16(4), 586–608. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0527-6
Hetherington, E. M. (1979). Divorce: A child’s perspective. American Psychologist, 34(10), 851–858. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.851
Hetherington, E., & Stanley-Hagan, M. (1999). The adjustment of children with divorced parents: A risk and resiliency perspective. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40(1), 129–140. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-7610.00427
Hetherington, E., Clingempeel, W., Anderson, E., Deal, J., Hagan, M., Hollier, E., & Bennion, L. (1992). Coping with marital transitions: A family systems perspective. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 57(2/3), I-238. https://doi.org/10.2307/1166050
Hetherington, E. M., Bridges, M., & Insabella, G. M. (1998). What matters? What does not? Five perspectives on the association between marital transitions and children’s adjustment. American Psychologist, 53(2), 167. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.53.2.167
Hett, G. G., & Rose, C. D. (1991). Counselling children of divorce: A divorce lifeline program. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 25(1), 38–49. https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/article/view/59422
Hipke, K. N., Wolchik, S. A., Sandler, I. N., & Braver, S. L. (2002). Predictors of children’s intervention-induced resilience in a parenting program for divorced mothers. Family Relations, 51(2), 121–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2002.00121.x
Hobson, C. J., Kamen, J., Szostek, J., et al. (1998). Stressful life events: A revision and update of the social readjustment rating scale. International Journal of Stress Management, 5(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022978019315
Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11(2), 213–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(67)90010-4
Huurre, T., Junkkari, H., & Aro, H. (2006). Long–term psychosocial effects of parental divorce. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256(4), 256–263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-006-0641-y
Institute of Medicine (US). (1994). Committee on prevention of mental disorders. In P. J. Mrazek & R. J. Haggerty (Eds.), Reducing risks for mental disorders: Frontiers for preventive intervention research. National Academies Press (US).
Jappens, M., & Van Bavel, J. (2019). Relationships with Grandparents and Grandchildren’s well-being after parental divorce. European Sociological Review, 35(6), 757–771. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcz033
Johnston, J. R., & Campbell, L. E. G. (1988). Impasses of divorce: The dynamics and resolution of family conflict. The Free Press.
Johnston, J. R., Roseby, V., & Kuehnle, K. (2009). In the name of the child: A developmental approach to understanding and helping children of conflicted and violent divorce (2nd ed.). Springer.
Jupp, J. J., & Purcell, I. P. (1992). A school-based group programme to uncover and change the problematic beliefs of children from divorced families. School Psychology International, 13(1), 17–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034392131002
Kessler, R. C., Davis, C. G., & Kendler, K. S. (1997). Childhood adversity and adult psychiatric disorder in the US National Comorbidity Survey. Psychological Medicine, 27(5), 1101–1119. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291797005588
Kiernan, K., & Hobcraft, J. (1997). Parental divorce during childhood: Age at first intercourse, partnership and parenthood. Population Studies, 51(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/0032472031000149716
Kliewer, W., Sandler, I. N., & Wolchik, S. (1994). Family socialization of threat appraisal and coping: Coaching, modeling, and family context. In F. Nestmann & K. Hurrelmann (Eds.), Social networks and social support in childhood and adolescence (pp. 271–292). de Gruyter.
Kraft, A. J., & Luecken, L. J. (2009). Childhood parental divorce and cortisol in young adulthood: Evidence for mediation by family income. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34(9), 1363–1369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.04.008
Kurdek, L. A., & Berg, B. (1987). Children’s beliefs about parental divorce scale: Psychometric characteristics and concurrent validity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55(5), 712–718. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.55.5.712
Lacey, R. E., Kumari, M., & McMunn, A. (2013). Parental separation in childhood and adult inflammation: The importance of material and psychosocial pathways. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(11), 2476–2484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.05.007
Lansford, J. E., Malone, P. S., Castellino, D. R., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (2006). Trajectories of internalizing, externalizing, and grades for children who have and have not experienced their parents’ divorce or separation. Journal of Family Psychology, 20(2), 292–301. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.20.2.292
Larson, K., & Halfon, N. (2013). Parental divorce and adult longevity. International Journal of Public Health, 58(1), 89–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0373
Luecken, L. J., Rodriguez, A. P., & Appelhans, B. M. (2005). Cardiovascular stress responses in young adulthood associated with family-of-origin relationship experiences. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67(4), 514–521. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000160466.10397.18
Mahrer, N. E., Winslow, E., Wolchik, S. A., Tein, J.-Y., & Sandler, I. N. (2014). Effects of a preventive parenting intervention for divorced families on the intergenerational transmission of parenting attitudes in young adult offspring. Child Development, 85(5), 2091–2015. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12258
Maier, E. H., & Lachman, M. E. (2000). Consequences of early parental loss and separation for health and well-being in midlife. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 24(2), 183–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/016502500383304
Martin, L. R., Friedman, H. S., Clark, K. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2005). Longevity following the experience of parental divorce. Social Science & Medicine, 61(10), 2177–2189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.04.027
Martinez, C. R. F., & Forgatch, M. S. (2001). Preventing problems with boys’ noncompliance: Effects of a parent training intervention for divorcing mothers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69(3), 416–428. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006X.69.3.416
Mazur, E., Wolchik, S. A., & Sandler, I. N. (1992). Negative cognitive errors and positive illusions for negative divorce events: Predictors of children’s psychological adjustment. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 20(6), 523–542. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00911238
McLanahan, S. S. (1999). Father absence and the welfare of children. In E. M. Hetherington (Ed.), Coping with divorce, single parenting, and remarriage: A risk and resiliency perspective (pp. 117–145). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2018). Understanding drug abuse and addition. Drug Facts. https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/drugfacts-understanding-drug.pdf
O’Connor, T. G., Davis, L., Dunn, J., Golding, J., & the Alspac Study Team. (2000). Distribution of accidents, injuries, and illnesses by family type. Pediatrics (Evanston), 106(5), e68–e68. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.106.5.e68
O’Hara, K. L., Rhodes, C. A., Wolchik, S. A., Sandler, I. N., & Tein, J.-Y. (2021). Longitudinal effects of PostDivorce Interparental conflict on Children’s mental health problems through fear of abandonment: Does parenting quality play a buffering role? Child Development, 92, 1476–1493.
Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2020). Marriages and divorces. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. https://ourworldindata.org/marriages-and-divorces. November 7, 2022.
Pedro-Carroll, J. L., & Alpert-Gillis, L. (1997). Preventive interventions for children of divorce: A developmental model for 5 and 6-year-old children. Journal of Primary Prevention, 18(1), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024601421020
Pedro-Carroll, J. L., & Cowen, E. L. (1985). The children of divorce intervention program: An investigation of the efficacy of a school-based prevention program. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53(5), 603–611. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006x.53.5.603
Pedro-Carroll, J. L., Sutton, S. E., & Wyman, P. A. (1999). A two-year follow-up evaluation of a preventive intervention for young children of divorce. School Psychology Review, 28(3), 467–476. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.1999.12085978
Pruett, M. K., Insabella, G. M., & Gustafson, K. (2005). The collaborative divorce project: A court-based intervention for separating parents with young children. Family Court Review, 43(1), 38–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1617.2005.00006.x
Rhodes, A. C., O’Hara, K., Vélez, C. E., & Wolchik, S. A. (2021). Interventions to help parents and children through separation and divorce. In R. E. Emery (Ed.), Encyclopedia on early childhood development: Divorce and separation (pp. 34–42). www.child-encyclopedia.com
Roseby, V., & Deutsch, R. (1985). Children of separation and divorce: Effects of a social role-taking group intervention on fourth and fifth graders. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 14(1), 55–60. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp1401_9
Rosenberg, M., & McCullough, B. C. (1981). Mattering: Inferred significance and mental health among adolescents. Research in Community and Mental Health, 2, 163–182.
Sacks, V. M., Murphey, D., & Moore, K. (2014). Adverse childhood experiences: National and state-level prevalence: Child trends research briefs (Child Trends – Pub. No. 2014–28). https://www.childtrends.org/publications/adverse-childhood-experiences-national-and-state-level-prevalence
Sameroff, A. (1975). Transactional models in early social relations. Human Development, 18(1–2), 65–79. https://doi.org/10.1159/000271476
Sameroff, A. (2000). Developmental systems and psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 12(3), 297–312. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400003035
Sandler, I. N., Wolchik, S., Braver, S., & Fogas, B. (1991). Stability and quality of life events and psychological symptomatology in children of divorce. American Journal of Community Psychology, 19(4), 501–520. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00937989
Sandler, I. N., Tein, J.-Y., & West, S. G. (1994). Coping, stress, and the psychological symptoms of children of divorce: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Child Development, 65(6), 1744–1763. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131291
Sandler, I. N., Tein, J. Y., Mehta, P., Wolchik, S., & Ayers, T. (2000). Coping efficacy and psychological problems of children of divorce. Child Development, 71(4), 1099–1118. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00212
Sandler, N., Wolchik, S. A., Mazza, G., Gunn, H., Tein, J.-Y., Berkel, C., Jones, S., & Porter, M. (2020). Randomized effectiveness trial of the new beginnings program for divorced families with children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 49(1), 60–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2018.1540008
Schmeer, K. K. (2012). Family structure and obesity in early childhood. Social Science Research, 41(4), 820–832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2012.01.007
Schneider, D., Harknett, K., & Stimpson, M. (2018). What explains the decline in first marriage in the United States? Evidence from the panel study of income dynamics, 1969 to 2013. Journal of Marriage and Family, 80(4), 791–811. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12481
Schwartz, J. E., Friedman, H. S., Tucker, J. S., Tomlinson-Keasey, C., Wingard, D. L., & Criqui, M. H. (1995). Sociodemographic and psychosocial factors in childhood as predictors of adult mortality. American Journal of Public Health, 85(9), 1237–1245. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.85.9.1237
Scully, J. A., Tosi, H., & Banning, K. (2000). Life event checklists: Revisiting the social readjustment rating scale after 30 years. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 60(6), 864–876. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131640021970952
Shaw, D. S., & Emery, R. E. (1987). Parental conflict and other correlates of the adjustment of school-age children whose parents have separated. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 15(2), 269–281. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00916354
Sheets, V. S., Sandler, I. N., & West, S. G. (1996). Appraisals of negative events by preadolescent children of divorce. Child Development, 67(5), 2166–2182. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01850
Sigal, A. B., Wolchik, S. A., Tein, J. Y., & Sandler, I. N. (2012). Enhancing youth outcomes following parental divorce: A longitudinal study of the effects of the New Beginnings Program on educational and occupational goals. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 41(2), 150–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2012.651992
Skinner, E. A., & Wellborn, J. G. (1994). Coping during childhood and adolescence: A motivational perspective. In R. Lerner, D. Featherman, & M. Perlmutter (Eds.), Lifespan development and behavior (pp. 91–133). Erlbaum.
Stolberg, A., & Garrison, K. (1985). Evaluating a primary prevention program for children of divorce. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13(2), 111–124. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00905724
Stolberg, A. L., & Mahler, J. (1994). Enhancing treatment gains in a school-based intervention for children of divorce through skill training, parental involvement, and transfer procedures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62(1), 147–156. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006x.62.1.147
Strizzi, J. M., Ciprić, A., Sander, S., & Hald, G. M. (2021). Divorce is stressful, but how stressful? Perceived stress among recently divorced danes. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 62(4), 295–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2021.1871838
Strohschein, L., Roos, N., & Brownell, M. (2009). Family structure histories and high school completion: Evidence from a population-based registry. Canadian Journal of Sociology, 34(1), 83–103. https://doi.org/10.29173/cjs1331
Sun, Y., & Li, Y. (2008). Stable post-divorce family structures during late adolescence and socioeconomic consequences in adulthood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70(1), 129–143. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00466
Tein, J. Y., Mazza, G. L., Gunn, H. J., Kim, H., Stuart, E. A., Sandler, I. N., & Wolchik, S. A. (2018). Multigroup propensity score approach to evaluating an effectiveness trial of the new beginnings program. Evaluation & the Health Professions, 41(2), 290–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163278718763499
Terman, L. M., & Oden, M. H. (1947). The gifted child grows up: Twenty-five years’ follow-up of a superior group. Stanford University Press.
Thomas, A., & Sawhill, I. (2005). For love and money? The impact of family structure on family income. The Future of Children, 15(2), 57–74. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3556563
Troxel, W. M., & Matthews, K. A. (2004). What are the costs of marital conflict and dissolution to children’s physical health? Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 7(1), 29–57. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:CCFP.0000020191.73542.b0
Tucker, J. S., Friedman, H. S., Schwartz, J. E., Criqui, M. H., Tomlinson-Keasey, C., Wingard, D. L., & Martin, L. R. (1997). Parental divorce: Effects on individual behavior and longevity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(2), 381–391. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.2.381
van Dijk, R., van der Valk, I. E., Deković, M., & Branje, S. J. (2020). A meta-analysis on interparental conflict, parenting, and child adjustment in divorced families: Examining mediation using meta-analytic structural equation models. Clinical Psychology Review, 79, 101861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101861
Vandewater, E. A., & Landsford, J. E. (2005). A family process model of problem Behaviors in adolescents. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(1), 100–109. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-2445.2005.00008
Vélez, C., Wolchik, S. A., Tein, J. Y., & Sandler, I. N. (2011). Protecting children from the consequences of divorce: A longitudinal study of the effects of parenting on children’s coping efforts and coping efficacy. Child Development, 82(1), 244–257. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01553
Weitoft, G. R., Hjern, A., Haglund, B., & Rosén, M. (2003). Mortality, severe morbidity, and injury in children living with single parents in Sweden: A population-based study. The Lancet, 361(9354), 289–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12324-0
Williams, T. M., & Wolniak, G. C. (2020). Unpacking the “female advantage” in the career and economic impacts of college. In N. S. Niemi & M. B. Weaver-Hightower (Eds.), The Wiley handbook of gender equity in higher education (pp. 5–28). Wiely.
Wolchik, S. A., Sandler, I. N., Braver, S. L., & Fogas, B. S. (1985). Events of parental divorce: Stressfulness ratings by children, parents and clinicians. American Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 59–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00923250
Wolchik, S. A., Ruehlman, L. S., Braver, S. L., & Sandler, I. N. (1989). Social support of children of divorce: Direct and stress buffering effects. American Journal of Community Psychology, 17(4), 485–501. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00931174
Wolchik, S. A., West, S. G., Westover, S., Sandler, I. N., Martin, A., Lustig, J., Tein, J.-Y., & Fisher, J. (1993). The children of divorce intervention project: Outcome evaluation of an empirically based parenting program. American Journal of Community Psychology, 21(5), 293–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00941505
Wolchik, S. A., Wilcox, K. L., Tein, J. Y., & Sandler, I. N. (2000a). Maternal acceptance and consistency of discipline as buffers of divorce stressors on children’s psychological adjustment problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 28(1), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005178203702
Wolchik, S. A., West, S., Sandler, I. N., Tein, J.-Y., Coatsworth, D., Lengua, L. J., et al. (2000b). The new beginnings program for divorced families: An experimental evaluation of theory-based single-component and dual-component programs. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(5), 843–856. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.68.5.843
Wolchik, S. A., Tein, J.-Y., Sandler, I. N., & Doyle, K. W. (2002a). Fear of abandonment as a mediator of the relations between divorce stressors and mother-child relationship quality and children’s adjustment problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30(4), 401–418. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015722109114
Wolchik, S. A., Sandler, I. N., Millsap, R. E., Plummer, B. A., Greene, S. M., Anderson, E. R., et al. (2002b). Six-year follow-up of a randomized, controlled trial of preventive interventions for children of divorce. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 1874–1881. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama288.15.1874
Wolchik, S. A., Sandler, I., Weiss, L., & Winslow, E. (2007). New beginnings: An empirically based intervention program for divorced mothers to promote resilience in their children. In J. M. Briesmeister & C. E. Schaefer (Eds.), Handbook of parent training: Helping parents prevent and solve problem behaviors (pp. 25–62). Wiley.
Wolchik, S. A., Sandler, I. N., Tein, J.-Y., Mahrer, N. E., Millsap, R. E., Winslow, E., Velez, C., Porter, M. M., Luecken, L. J., & Reed, A. (2013). Fifteen-year follow-up of a randomized trial of preventive intervention for divorced families: Effects on mental health and substance use outcomes in young adulthood. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81(4), 660–673. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033235
Wolchik, S. A., Christopher, C., Tein, J. Y., Rhodes, C. A., & Sandler, I. N. (2019). Long-term effects of a parenting preventive intervention on young adults’ attitudes toward divorce and marriage. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 60(4), 283–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2018.1528530
Wolchik, S. A., Tein, J. Y., Winslow, E., Minney, J., Sandler, I. N., & Masten, A. S. (2021). Developmental cascade effects of a parenting-focused program for divorced families on competence in emerging adulthood. Development and Psychopathology, 33(1), 201–215. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095457941900169X
Wolchik, S. A., Sandler, I. N., Winslow, E., Porter, M. M., & Tein, J.-Y. (2022). Effects of a web-based parenting-after-divorce program to reduce interparental conflict, increase quality of parenting and reduce children’s post-divorce behavior problems. Family Court Review, 60, 474–491.
Yannakoulia, M., Papanikolaou, K., Hatzopoulou, I., Efstathiou, E., Papoutsakis, C., & Dedoussis, G. V. (2008). Association between family divorce and children’s BMI and meal patterns: The GENDAI study. Obesity, 16(6), 1382–1387. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.70
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wolchik, S.A., Sandler, I.N., Israelashvili, M. (2023). Adjustment to Divorce. In: Israelashvili, M. (eds) Prevention of Maladjustment to Life Course Transitions. Advances in Prevention Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26700-0_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26700-0_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-26699-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-26700-0
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)