Gender and Age Differences in Child Adjustment to Parental Separation

Abstract

The present study examined gender and age differences in adjustment among children whose parents have separated. Measures designed specifically to assess family hnctioning during thc divorce process (the Divorce Adjustment Inventory-Revised, and Child Divorce Adjustment Inventory), along with a measure of self-esteem and interviews with children, provide an in-depth exploration of the experience of families during the transitional period of separation. Results indicate that (I) parents of girls reported higher resolution of the separation, (2) high self-esteem for girls was mediated by residential parents' high socioeconomic status, (3) older children exhibited higher adjustment than younger children, and (4) father-headcd families indicated higher adjustment before and after separation. Using a model of divorce as a process, results are discussed in relation to findings from studies of post-divorce and pre-separation families to provide a more complete picture of the divorce experience and child adjustment to that experience. [Article copies available for a fee f i m The Haworrh Document Deliveiy Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail add~vss: gerinfo@haworth.con1]

Effects of divorce on Dutch boys' and girls' externalizing behavior in Gene × Environment perspective: Diathesis stress or differential susceptibility in the Dutch Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey study?

“…In a comprehensive review of 27 studies of the effects of divorce on children's social and emotional well-being, Zaslow (1988) found that boys were more negatively affected than girls in 16 studies and girls were worse off in only 5. Subsequent work revealed school-age boys were worse off in terms of emotional distress and academic difficulties (Simons, 1996), divorce adjustment and self-esteem (Howell, Portes, & Brown, 1997), and behavior problems (Jenkins & Smith, 1993; Mott, Kowaleski-Jones, & Meneghan, 1997; Simons, 1996). Some have observed, however, that whereas boys during childhood and adolescence are more likely to respond to divorce with conduct problems and acting out at home and in school, girls are more likely to respond with depression and “overcontrolled” behavior (Hetherington, Cox, & Cox, 1982; Emery, Hetheringon, & DiLalla, 1985).…”

Shared Parenting: Adding Children's Voices and Their Measures of Adjustment to the Evaluation

“…However, when the children were asked directly, most reported negative reactions. Similarly, Howell, Portes, & Brown (1997) asked 433 resident mothers to rate their child's adjustment and compared these ratings to children's reactions to the separation and child ratings of self esteem. Although their research focused on age and gender effects, it was noted that parent responses were not consistent with children's reported reactions to their parents' separation.…”

Using an Ecological Framework for Understanding and Treating Externalizing Behavior in Early Childhood

“…Research with school-age children has consistently found that children from divorced families have more behavior problems, more social difficulties, and more academic difficulties than children in non-divorced families (McLanahan & Teitler, 1999). Children who experience divorce before the age of 6 are at higher risk of developing behavioral difficulties (Howell, Portes, & Brown, 1997;Pagani, Boulerice, Tremblay, & Vitaro, 1997), including regressive behavior, separation anxiety, aggression, nightmares and bed-wetting (Wallerstein & Blakslee, 1989); these effects tend to dissipate over time (Harland, Reijneveld, Brugman, Verloove-Vanhorick, & Verhulst, 2002) and younger children appear to recover better from a divorce than their older siblings (Wallerstein & Blakslee, 1989). There is some evidence that it is not the divorce itself that is responsible for the increase in behavioral problems.…”