How Do Parenting Time and Interparental Conflict Affect the Relations of Quality of Parenting and Child Well-Being Following Divorce?

Mahrer, Nicole E.; Sandler, Irwin N.; Wolchik, Sharlene A.; Winslow, Emily B.; Moran, John A.; Weinstock, David

doi:10.1093/med:psych/9780199396580.003.0003

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Though in other areas of psychological research resilience in children has been explored as a partial explanation for this phenomenon (Rutter, ), the concept has been neglected in much of the literature on family separation. Fourth, it is important to recognise that a close parent–child relationship with one or both parents can buffer children from the harmful effects of parental conflict (Johnston, ; see also Buchanan & Heiges, ; Buchanan, Maccoby, & Dornbusch, ; Mahrer et al, ), as can internal strengths (e.g., temperament) or external resources (e.g., friends or a trusted adult such as a grandparent) (Garrity & Baris, ; Reynolds et al., ). Fifth, co‐occurring life stressors (e.g., the many challenges of adolescence, financial stress, parental depression/anxiety) can strengthen the link between parental conflict and poor child adjustment (Buchanan & Heiges, , p. 341).…”

Section: Children As Actors and Victimsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Post‐Separation Parenting Disputes and the Many Faces of High Conflict: Theory and Research

Smyth

Moloney

2019

ANZ J of Family Therapy

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Couple conflict, which includes conflict over parenting practices, continues to be a topic of considerable interest to family therapists. Following parental separation, resolution or management of conflict over children has a special urgency. 'High-conflict' cases present some of the most complex systemic and clinical challenges. In this first of two related articles in this issue of ANZJFT, we set out key ideassome old, some newabout parental conflict from the divorce literature. We present Australian data on separated parents' reports, which found significant conflict at three different points in time after separation and consider the clinical implications. We suggest that while 'high conflict' has an intuitive feel as a descriptor for difficult post-separation disputes, it has limited utility as a blanket term to inform research and practice. The article acts as a conceptual backdrop to an earlier paper (Smyth & Moloney, 2017), in which we consider the dynamics of enduring 'high conflict. ' We suggest that these cases might be qualitatively different to those cases in which intensely felt disputes develop but then recede. We also suggest that amongst enduring 'high conflict' cases there are likely to be cases with especially challenging dynamics such as interparental hatred. Key points1 'High-conflict' divorce cases continue to present complex systemic and clinical challenges. 2 Children's responses to being caught in the middle of ongoing high conflict almost invariably come at an emotional and developmental cost. 3 Divorce-related conflict is often complicated by the intersection of several overlapping and mutually reinforcing individual and systemic problems. These include mental health issues, substance/alcohol abuse, family violence, economic and other disruptive transitional stressors, as well as insensitive or poorly executed legal, dispute management, and therapeutic processes. 4 Australian data suggest that at three particular points in time during the first 5 years after separation, an average of one in eight separated parents report 'lots of conflict' in their post separation relationship, while about one in twenty describe their relationship as fearful. However, less than 5% of these parents reported staying in highly conflicted or fearful relationships at all the three points in time. 5 The above data suggest that the majority of separated parents who report 'lots of conflict' are likely to be struggling with relatively predictable, time-limited factors and stressors associated with separation and with normal separation-related grief processes. These issues are likely to be managed or resolved by paying close attention to the emotional as well as the practical drivers of the disputes. 6 As the accompanying article suggests, however, it is likely that the one in twenty parents whose disputes endure over 5 years are being challenged by more dysfunctional or more pathological processes, which can include the phenomenon of interparental hatred. We suggest that for most of these parents, the content of...

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Section: Children As Actors and Victimsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This in turn can adversely impact on parent–child relationships and lead to poorer adjustment outcomes for children. The difficulties may persist into adulthood, leading to struggles by these young adults to be effective parents to their own children (Buchanan & Heiges, ; see also Garrity & Baris, ; Mahrer et al., ).…”

Section: Children As Actors and Victimsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post‐Separation Parenting Disputes and the Many Faces of High Conflict: Theory and Research

Smyth

Moloney

2019

ANZ J of Family Therapy

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“…In the context of IPC, previous authors displayed the best outcomes in children with two high-quality parents and low IPC. Hence, young adults whose fathers had moderate contact/moderate support and low IPC had significantly higher academic achievement and marginally lower externalizing problems [ 16 ]. Nevertheless, some findings suggest that if granted adequate parenting time, quality parenting in one parent may be protective and lead to positive child outcomes even in the presence of IPC [ 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between parental divorce and mental health outcomes among Lebanese adolescents: results of a national study

et al. 2021

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Background In Lebanon, divorce rates have jumped from nearly 7000 in recent years to 8580 in 2017, an increase of 22.5%, with North Lebanon recording the highest number, followed by Beirut, likely resulting in increased behavioral problems in the offspring of divorced parents. Furthermore, one out of two Lebanese adolescents whose biological parents were divorced, separated, or deceased has a psychiatric disorder. More information regarding the impact of divorce on the mental health of Lebanese adolescents is still missing. The objective of this study was to explore the association between divorce and mental health outcomes, particularly depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among Lebanese adolescents. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted between January and May 2019 enrolled 1810 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years, using a simple randomization method to choose schools. A proportionate number of schools was selected from each of the five Lebanese Mohafazat (Beirut, Mount Lebanon, North, South, and Beqaa), based on the list of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. A total of 18 private schools were approached; two declined, and 16 accepted to participate. Results The mean age of participants was 15.42 ± 1.14 years, with 53.3% females. After adjustment for the covariates (age, sex, and house crowding index), the results showed that adolescents whose parents are separated compared to living together had more social fear (Standardized Beta (SB = 0.270) and avoidance (SB = 0.188), higher depression (SB = 0.045), and higher suicidal ideation (SB = 0.370). Conclusion Our findings reveal that teens with divorced parents had higher social fear and avoidance, depression, and suicidal ideation, highlighting the need for adequate prevention programs to support both children and parents during this emotionally difficult period.

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“…Although it is still in dispute whether the beneficial effects of high-quality parenting would be substantially reduced by high interparental conflict following parental separation or divorce (Nielsen, 2017), accumulating research has generally indicated that following parental divorce children tend to have the best adaptation outcomes when parenting quality is high in both parents and interparental conflict is low. Moreover, there is also some evidence showing that high-quality parenting by one parent may compensate for the deleterious effects of interparental conflict and low-quality parenting by the other parent on child adjustment (Carr et al, 2019;King & Sobolewski, 2006;Lau, 2017;Mahrer et al, 2016Mahrer et al, , 2018Sandler et al, 2008Sandler et al, , 2012Sandler et al, , 2013. As such, a more pertinent question that awaits to be more thoroughly addressed appears to be whether and how high-quality parenting following divorce or separation is beneficial for child adaptation in the presence of other conditions that often threaten child well-being (e.g., protracted, high levels of interparental conflict).…”

Section: Parental Involvement and Parent-child Relationship Following...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Divorce Process and Child Adaptation Trajectory Typology (DPCATT) Model: The Shaping Role of Predivorce and Postdivorce Interparental Conflict

Cao

Fine

Zhou

2022

Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev

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Divorce has been conceptualized as a process. Research has extensively demonstrated that it is pre/postdivorce family environment factors that primarily account for the variability in children's adaptation over parental divorce process rather than the legal divorce per se. Amongst various factors, interparental conflict has been consistently identified as a prominent one. Surprisingly, a single source is still lacking that comprehensively synthesizes the extant findings. This review fills this gap by integrating the numerous findings across studies into a more coherent Divorce Process and Child Adaptation Trajectory Typology (DPCATT) Model to illustrate that pre/postdivorce interparental conflict plays crucial roles in shaping child adaptation trajectories across parental divorce process. This review also summarizes the mechanisms (e.g., child cognitive and emotional processes, coparenting, parent-child relations) via which pre/postdivorce interparental conflict determines these trajectories and the factors (e.g., child gender and age, child coping, grandparental support) that interact with pre/postdivorce interparental conflict to further complicate these trajectories. In addition, echoing the call of moving beyond the monolithic conceptualization of pre/postdivorce interparental conflict, we also review studies on the differential implications of different aspects (e.g., frequency versus intensity) and types (e.g., overt versus covert) of interparental conflict for child adjustment. Last, limitations of prior studies and avenues for future research are discussed. The proposed framework may serve as a common knowledge base for researchers to compare/interpret results, detect cutting edges of the fields, and design new studies. The specificity, complexity, nuance, and diversity inherent within our proposed model await to be more fully revealed.

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How Do Parenting Time and Interparental Conflict Affect the Relations of Quality of Parenting and Child Well-Being Following Divorce?

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Post‐Separation Parenting Disputes and the Many Faces of High Conflict: Theory and Research

Post‐Separation Parenting Disputes and the Many Faces of High Conflict: Theory and Research

Association between parental divorce and mental health outcomes among Lebanese adolescents: results of a national study

The Divorce Process and Child Adaptation Trajectory Typology (DPCATT) Model: The Shaping Role of Predivorce and Postdivorce Interparental Conflict

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