The Long-Term Effects of Parental Divorce on the Mental Health of Young Adults: A Developmental Perspective

Abstract

The effects of parental divorce during childhood and adolescence on the mental health of young adults (age 23) were examined, using the National Child Development Study (NCDS), a longitudinal, multimethod, nationally representative survey of all children born in Great Britain during 1 week in 1958 (N = 17,414). Children were assessed at birth and subsequently followed up at ages 7, 11, 16, and 23 by means of maternal and child interviews, and by psychological, school, and medical assessments. Parental divorce had a moderate, long-term negative impact on adult mental health, as measured by the Malaise Inventory total score, and controlling for economic status, children's emotional problems, and school performance preceding marital dissolution. The likelihood of scoring above the clinical cutoff of the Malaise Inventory rose from 8% to 11% due to parental divorce. This indicated that the relative risk of serious emotional disorders increased in the aftermath of divorce, but that the large majority of individuals did not exhibit such risks. Path analyses revealed that the negative effects of divorce on adult mental health operated indirectly through higher emotional problems and lower levels of school achievement and family economic status at age 16. Results related to timing of divorce, remarriage, and interactions between age 7 emotional problems and divorce, and between age 7 emotional problems and child gender, are also discussed.

Parental separation and children’s education in a comparative perspective: Does the burden disappear when separation is more common?

“…This general notion is mirrored in the literature, as there does not seem to be any widely used theory-based age limit beyond which parental divorce would be expected to have no effect. Age limits used in various analyses seem to be mostly chosen pragmatically, depending on the nature of the data (see, e.g., Chase-Lansdale, Cherlin, and Kiernan 1995;Fronstin, Greenberg, and Robins 2001;Furstenberg and Kiernan 2001;Kiernan 1997;Ross and Mirowsky 1999). When scholars face no data constraints, they use an array of different ages, usually without any detailed explanation.…”

The relationship between work history and partnership formation in cohorts of British men born in 1958 and 1970

“…For example, it is possible that children of divorced parents mature more quickly, take on adult roles earlier, or experience less parental involvement than their counterparts in intact families. Thus, the earlier independence of children of divorced parents may lower the age of first dating and encourage entry into cohabitation (Chase-Lansdale et al 1995). A dummy variable was therefore included in the analyses to indicate whether the man's parents had divorced*by age 11 for men in the 1958 cohort and by age 10 for men in the 1970 cohort.…”

Parent Marital Quality and the Parent–Adolescent Relationship: Effects on Adolescent and Young Adult Health Outcomes

“…Studies indicate that marital quality does tend to decrease over time (Umberson et al, 2005). Extensive research finds that the occurrence of a parental marital disruption (i.e., divorce or separation) is associated with poorer child and young adult health, externalizing and antisocial behaviors, anxiety, depression, and overall physical health in children (Guidubaldi & Cleminshaw, 1985;Strohschein, 2005;Wood et al, 2004) and mental health in young adulthood (Chase-Lansdale et al, 1995).…”

“…Previous research found that the structure of a family, namely whether or not the parents are both biological, the length of the marriage between the two parents, and whether or not the parents experience a marital disruption, can influence both marital quality and child outcomes (Chase-Lansdale, Cherlin, & Kiernan, 1995;Guidubaldi & Cleminshaw, 1985;Hetherinton & Stanley-Hagan, 1999;Strohschein, 2005;Umberson, Williams, Powers, Chen, & Campbell, 2005;Wood, Repetti, & Roesch, 2004). We examine these variables as potential covariates in the relationship between parental marital quality, the parent-child relationship, and adolescent and young adult health outcomes.…”