Effects of Family Structure and the Experience of Parental Separation: A Study on Adolescents’ Well-Being

Abstract

Large numbers of studies, mostly from the U.S., have addressed the effects of parental separation and divorce, pointing to disadvantages of children and adolescents growing up in separated families. However, evidence on this topic varies across countries and is limited for Germany. Using longitudinal data from waves 1 and 3 of the German Family Panel pairfam, we investigated differences in adolescents’ well-being by comparing stable nuclear families (n = 1968), single mother families (n = 360), and stepfather families (n = 214), as well as an additional smaller group of adolescents whose parents separated between waves 1 and 3 (“prospective separators”; n = 76). Adolescents’ satisfaction with different domains of life (family, education/work, and their general life satisfaction) as well as their self-esteem were used as indicators of well-being. A series of multiple regression analyses tested the effects of family structure on well-being at T1 and changes in well-being over time, controlling for various background factors. Furthermore, likely mediation effects of infrequent contact to the non-resident father and economic strain were tested. The findings show (relatively minor) effects of parental separation, namely lower well-being among youth1 in single mother families compared to nuclear families. Disadvantages of youth in single mother families could only be partly explained by the higher financial strain generally experienced in these families. Youth in stepfather families reported a similar overall well-being as adolescents in nuclear families, but indicated a greater decrease in family satisfaction over time. Pre-separation disadvantages among prospective separators were limited to greater dissatisfaction with school. Infrequent contact with the non-resident father did not affect adolescents’ well-being. Effects of family structure did not differ between boys and girls, but maternal education moderated the effects of family structure on adolescents’ life satisfaction. Overall, the findings are in line with other evidence from Germany, which points towards only limited disadvantages of youth in separated or divorced families.

Influence of Parental Factors on Self-Esteem of Adolescents from Separated Homes in Nigeria

“…Similarly, the finding is similar to Walper et al, (2015) who found that parental separation retards the attainment of the children's higher education irrespective of parents' level of education. The between factors in this study also revealed that the self-esteem of the adolescents from separated parents is negatively affected regardless of separated parent's level of education.…”

“…The variation in the way they respond to the outcomes of family separation had earlier been attributed to the level of coping ability demonstrated by the adolescents. Walper, et al (2015) maintained that the cause of separation may not be responsible for the outcomes on adolescents' self-esteem but rather pertinent factors that might or might not occur prior to and post separation. This, therefore makes it necessary to investigate whether the self-esteem of in-school adolescents from separated homes will be influenced by the cause of separation (death, divorce, abandonment, work etc).…”

“…Duration of Parental Separation and Adolescents Self-esteem: Outcomes of studies on the impact of duration on adolescents' exposure to distress of separation are inconsistent, some of the studies (Mooney, et al, 2009;Pryor & Rodgers, 2001) found that difficulties encountered decrease, others reported increased emotional and behavioural problems in children from separated families up to two years after the incident (Mooney, et al, 2009;Wise, 2003) Comparably, findings of some studies (Hetherington & Kelly, 2002;Walper, 2002;Walper & Wendt, 2005;Wendt & Walper, 2007;Ugwuja (2010)) appeared to maintain divergent views. The observed variations in findings of studies both within and across samples, and the urge to gain further insight into the root of these differences between children from separated and intact homes have led researchers to believe that other pertinent factors (overwhelming responsibilities, emotional reaction, impatient, unresponsive children's needs) that might or might not occur in the incidence of parental separation might be responsible for the aftermath of parental separation especially in emotional development/self-esteem of in-school adolescents from separated homes (Walper, et al, 2015). This manuscript examined how parental factors (Parent Level of Education, Cause of Parental Separation, Custodian, Period of Separation) moderate the impact of separation on the self-esteem of the adolescents.…”

Joint Physical Custody and Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction in 37 North American and European Countries

“…We controlled for a set of variables which previous research suggested is associated with subjective life satisfaction and happiness (Bjarnason et al, 2012; Levin et al, 2012; Robson, 2010; Walper et al, 2015). Child characteristics considered were age (1 = “11 years old,” 2 = “13 years old,” and 3 = “15 years old”), gender (0 = “male” vs. 1 = “female”), and self‐rated health (1 = “poor,” 2 = “fair,” 3 = “good,” or 4 = “excellent”).…”

“…And although adolescents from nonintact families had in general greater difficulties talking to both their mothers and fathers than children from intact families, “children living in joint physical custody ha[d] equal or less problems communicating with their parents than their counterparts in intact families and less such problems than children in other types of nonintact families” (Bjarnason & Arnarsson, 2011, p. 885). Furthermore, previous studies on the association between family structure and adolescents’ life satisfaction or happiness revealed that adolescents from nuclear families reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness than adolescents from separated or divorced families did (Bjarnason et al, 2012; Levin et al, 2012; Robson, 2010; Walper, Thönnissen, & Alt, 2015). Again, adolescents living in JPC arrangements after family dissolution felt better than adolescents living in SPC arrangements (Bjarnason et al, 2012; Levin et al, 2012).…”