Heterogeneous Effects of Family Complexity in Childhood on Mental Health: Testing the “Good Divorce” and the “Good Stepparent” Hypotheses

Abstract

We address two key research questions. First, is there an association between parental separation and living with a stepparent in childhood and maladjustment in adulthood? Second, we examine the role conflict plays in these associations. We study whether parental union dissolution is only detrimental in cases of heightened post-divorce interparental conflict. We build upon this “good divorce” hypothesis by considering whether the possible association between living in a stepfamily and depressive symptomatology is only present in cases of high stepparent-child conflict (a “good stepparent” hypothesis). Using data from the OKiN survey (Parents and Children in the Netherlands), we analyze the self-reported depressive feelings of Dutch adults aged 25–35. Of our sample, 2233 adults experienced parental separation in childhood (on average, 22 years before data collection); of those, n = 1665 had lived with a stepparent. Our findings clearly indicate that having experienced parental divorce is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms only for those adults who were exposed to heightened post-divorce interparental conflict. Similarly, living with a stepparent is linked to maladjustment only in cases of high stepparent-child conflict. Importantly, we find evidence that a low-conflict stepfather-child tie could even buffer against maladjustment (which is not the case for a low-conflict stepmother-child tie).

Like ripples on a pond: The long-term consequences of parental separation and conflicts in childhood on adult children's self-rated health

“…Furthermore, as both associations are negative and the adjusted R 2 increased in Model 3, it can be concluded that they show an additive negative influence on SRH in adulthood. This stands against previous research that could not find any significant influence of parental separation per se on the adult child's health ( Gähler, 1998 ; Gähler & Palmtag, 2015 ; Ivanova & Kalmijn, 2020 ; Lundberg, 1997 ). In Model 4, controls for mother's education, number of siblings and economic hardship in childhood were included.…”

“…In contrast, other studies concluded that family structure per se does not cause health problems among (adult)children. Instead, their results underlined that socioeconomic factors and inter-parental conflicts in childhood accounted for the largest part of the variation in children's health ( Gähler, 1998 ; Gähler & Palmtag, 2015 ; Ivanova & Kalmijn, 2020 ; Lundberg, 1997 ).…”

“…Inter-parental conflict is closely associated with family dissolution, and many scholars concede that conflict, rather than parental separation per se, explains the poorer outcomes for children of separation ( Harold & Murch, 2005 ; Ivanova & Kalmijn, 2020 ; Lucas et al, 2013 ). Rather than attempting to separate between the influence of parental separation and parental conflict, scholars have conceptualized them as two parts of a broader family dissolution process ( Amato, 2010 ; Cox & Paley, 1997 ).…”