Is Divorce More Painful When Couples Have Children? Evidence From Long-Term Panel Data on Multiple Domains of Well-being

Abstract

Theoretical models of the divorce process suggest that marital breakup is more painful in the presence of children, yet little is known about the role of children as a moderator of divorce effects on adult well-being. The present study addresses this gap of research based on long-term panel data from Germany (SOEP). Following individuals over several years before and after divorce, we investigated whether the impact of divorce on multiple measures of well-being varied by the presence and age of children before marital breakup. Three central findings emerged from the analysis. First, declines in well-being were sharper in the presence of children, and these moderator effects were larger if children were younger. Second, domain-specific measures of well-being revealed gender differences in the moderating role of children. Mothers sustained deeper drops in economic well-being than did fathers; the reverse was true for family well-being. Third, most of these disproportionate declines in the well-being of divorced parents did not persist in the long term given that higher rates of adaptation leveled out the gaps compared with childless divorcees.

Mental health dynamics around marital dissolution. Moderating effects of parenthood and children’s age

“…The probably most comprehensive study, so far, by Kalmijn and Leopold (2016) on the moderating effect of parenthood after divorce found stronger decreases in subjective well-being among parents of children at age 0-4 compared to childless individuals and parents of children at age 5-18, emphasizing the important role of parenthood as moderator. To our best knowledge, this is the only study using German panel data, focusing primarily on well-being and its dynamics after divorce.…”

“…Presence of a child may also affect partners' experience of divorce. Although research from past decades accumulated vast evidence that divorce is detrimental to mental health (Amato/Keith 1991;Hank/Wagner 2013), the question of moderating effects of parenthood has been addressed by only a handful of papers (Blekesaune/Barrett 2005;Williams/ Dunne-Bryant 2006;Leopold/Kalmijn 2016). Unfortunately, most previous studies use less than ideal research designs, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions.…”

Multi-dimensional Subjective Wellbeing and Lone Parenthood Following Divorce in Flanders (Northern Belgium)

“…This importance of fatherhood is reflected in the declines in life satisfaction they experience following a divorce (Leopold 2018). Divorced fathers experience increased feelings of loneliness, isolation and declines in measures of satisfaction with family life, with much of it caused by their separation from children, who are more likely to reside with their mother (Dykstra and Fokkema 2007;Leopold and Kalmijn 2016;Shor et al 2012;Stack and Eshleman 1998).…”

“…Single parenthood has been linked to a higher likelihood of illness and depression for women in the post-divorce period, and also later in life (Baronowska-Rataj et al 2014;Cairney et al 2006;Cooper et al 2008;Meadows 2009). In addition, men generally experience greater declines in overall health, subjective wellbeing, measures of satisfaction with family life and greater feelings of loneliness and isolation following a divorce than do women, although this pattern is not universal (Dykstra and Fokkema 2007;Leopold 2018;Leopold and Kalmijn 2016;Shor et al 2012;Stack and Eshleman 1998). Both men and women, therefore, experience the impact of divorce, but in different ways over various aspects of wellbeing.…”

Development and Practical use of an Emotional Readiness Assessment for Support in Family Justice Processes

“…Divorce and separation are challenging times in terms of emotional upheaval. Research suggests that those going through a separation can experience a complex interplay of emotions (Halford & Sweeper, 2013;Sweeney & Horwitz, 2001), and declines in emotional well-being are more pronounced if there are children involved (Leopold & Kalmijn, 2016). These strong emotions can impair parents' abilities to cope, and some separating couples require support to deal with practicalities, such as making and agreeing on childcare arrangements (Jurma, 2015;Mitcham-Smith & Henry, 2007).…”